Hi everyone - I'm a new poster on here but have been using the helpful advice for the past 6 months. ( The bbc should use the webmaster to run their message boards ... )
And my query is as it says in the title. I've pegged some runners from a strawberry plant (which is in a pot) and now all 5 runners are growing flowers.
Is it best to remove them so that the plants concentrate on root growth?
Unfortunately I've no idea of variety as I bought the mother plant last year from a garden centre and all it says on the label is 'General'. As for fruiting my wife says it was in September.
Any advice/thoughts much appreciated as next year I want to grow more fruit n veg
(http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g150/welshblue123/strawberry.jpg)
the link to the mother plant in question
Apologies for that huge pic
???
Well WB, as long as the flowers in the picture don't belong to the strawberry plant...... in which case you're in trouble! :o
If you think they are autumn fruiting, then let them flower away and if you want to, take the fruits - they will draw much of their nutrients/water through the runners (as long as you haven't chopped them off the mother plant) and simply grow roots as well. When they start to die back in late autumn, chop the runners and you will have healthy young plants for next year.
Only possible problem might be the perennial (sic) one of fruiting such young plants; it might be better to remove flowers so that the plant isn't stressed this year. I'd seek more expert advice on that if I were you.
A solution might be to pot on more runners from the mother plant (which are likely to develop anyway) and fruit the ones you've already got, but not the next wave. Then you can let us know the answer next year when the effects can be seen!