Strawberry Runners

[Magnolia]

Hi, I have a lot of strawberry plants in hanging baskets.  I want to plant the runners but it will mean putting the hanging basket on the ground if I want to keep them attached to the 'mother plant' whilst they put down roots.
Will I kill the runner if I cut it and plant?
J.

[Magnolia]

[saddad]

If you can keep it shaded and damp, out of the wind they might root but bringing the basket down is a better option, the Strawbs will have finishwed soon the runners will wait til then...  :)

[dtw]

Don't cut the runners until they have rooted.

[Kepouros]

There is no need to sever the runners or take down the baskets.

Get some sphagnum moss, wet it and then squeeze it back to moist.  Take a small handful, wrap it around the runner where the new plantlet is and wrap it round with a strip of polythene and tie. Make sure the moss isn`t allowed to dry out.
The plantlet will root quite happily into the sphagnum moss for planting out later.

This is the standard method used for many years taking air layerings from many types of plants and shrubs.

[saddad]

Thank you Kepouros... I'd forgotten about air layering...  :-[

[Magnolia]

That's great!!  I was thinking about something similar such as making little compost pockets out of fleece and then bending the pockets back into the baskets to take the weight.

But the moss is a fab idea.  So glad I asked. J  ;D

[JoeCocker]

I just cut the runners off and planted them in some damp compost, seem to be growing OK