Strawberry Plants - Monty Don

[fitzsie]

On Gardeners World last week Monty Don said that a job to do this weekend was to cut  the leaves off all the strawberry plants.
Last year I just removed the dead leaves that appeared and the plants seem to do alright this year. I have taken off all the runners I need for next years plants so am wondering should I do as Monty suggested.  What does everyone else do?

[fitzsie]

[Obelixx]

I just remove the dead stuff too but I think, with a big patch, it's probably quicker just to cut the lot as long as it's done early enough for them to recover before the frosts.

[InfraDig]

Last year I cut mine back completely, and then topdressed with compost. They grew into very nice healthy plants. This year the crop was excellent, but whether that is related or not I don't know!

[Sinbad7]

I get the shears and chop them right down, works for me every year.

[ancellsfarmer]

Under the old regime, commercial growers used to burn off the straw and "singe the plants, destroying old dried foliage, aphids, slugs and often the hedgerow at the bottom if wind conditions changed!  Its not thought good for air quality these days

[jimc]

I am at the other end of the season to all you posters here with just coming out of winter.
I usually try to get all older leaves (the dark green, red tinged edged leaves, yellow leaves or dead leaves and stems) cut off, as well as remove any runners which didn't get removed during the growing season before the start of winter but missed out this year except for 2 rows.
I just completed the other 5 rows last week with flowers showing up and some fruit on most plants last week. The only difference with the 2 rows versus the 5 rows is that there is more fruit on the two rows as at now. Maybe I may have lost some of the fruiting potential but I am hoping that the big fruiting season on the rest will just be a few weeks later. I have about 80 plants all up.
Last year I started to pick the odd ones in August picking up to a punnet a day by the end of September and looks like I am on track to do that a gain this year. By November I am usually picking 4-6 punnets a day which slowly reduce then over the heat of summer while still being able to pick the odd few every day right through to mid or late autumn again.
It is important to get rid of all those old leaves which just harbour bugs and fungus.

[Digeroo]

I got rid of the old leaves several months ago, the new ones are very bonny.

I am trying to source some varieties which crop now.  I though I had some perpetual ones but they seem to have forgotten to be perpetual.

Can anyone recommend a variety which is cropping now.