Strawberry Cultivation in Planters #5 [Something popped out!]

Some time after planting, you might see something pop out that is neither a new leaf nor a flower bud.

That is a runner!
Once a bud starts to appear at the tip, you can just stick it into the soil and it will become a seedling as is👍🏻

So, this time we will talk about
・Whether to remove or plant runners
・Whether the variety is suitable for planting
・How to remove runners
・How to plant runners
is what we will cover.

When planting, I mentioned that you should look at the runner to determine the "orientation of the seedling."
That is also a runner, but it was a receiving runner that was getting nutrients from the parent plant, whereas a runner that appears after planting becomes a sending runner that sends nutrients from itself to the daughter plant.
By inserting this runner into a seedling pot or similar, you can actually propagate seedlings♪

Whether to remove or keep runners

This also varies depending on your approach and the condition of the plant when the runner appears, so speaking from Kimura's perspective...
・Remove them in the early stages when the plant is immature
・Plant the runners that appear in the latter half of the harvest season (after it gets warmer) to grow seedlings for the next season
That is how I do it.
The idea is that after planting, you want the roots to establish firmly in the early stages, so you remove the runners to prevent the plant from using energy to grow them.

〈Image of goals by season〉
Planting
↓
Root establishment period: Focus entirely on root growth
↓As it gets colder
Dormancy period
↓As it gets warmer
Recovery period: Increase leaves
↓
Harvest period: Focus entirely on making the fruit larger
↓
Seedling period: Plant the runners!
Something like that!

However, there are times when you might keep runners even in the early stages.
That is "when you have planted the seedlings but feel like you don't have enough."
In other words, it's like, "The plant I put in is vigorous and healthy, and I want another one next to it, so I'll just stick the runner that came out into the soil next to it!"

Since the temperature is going to drop from here on out, it's questionable whether what you've planted will take root properly and become a solid plant, though😅
It might be interesting to try it with the mindset of "I'll give it a shot even if it doesn't work out!"♪

In our greenhouse, we keep it warm, so we sometimes intentionally leave about one runner from each plant as a backup, and if a plant is missing (meaning a planted plant was removed due to poor growth, insects, or disease), we insert a runner from the neighbor to fill the gap.
However, this might only be possible because it's a temperature-controlled environment (even then, it's still late for the start of cultivation), so for cultivation in environments exposed to outside air like balconies or gardens, I think it's best to treat planting runners during the period when it's getting colder as "lucky if it works out"👍🏻 I think I'll try planting one too!

Whether the variety is suitable for planting runners

When you plant a runner, you can create new seedlings, but depending on the variety, there are some where transferring home-grown seedlings, whether for free or for a fee, is prohibited, and others where the act of inserting a runner to grow seedlings (creating seedlings) itself is prohibited by a law called the "Plant Variety Protection and Seed Act."
You should know that "you can't just plant anything."

This is in place to protect the rights of the developers and manufacturers, as well as prefectural brands, strawberry producers, and strawberry quality, so please be sure to follow it!
(There have been cases where people were referred to prosecutors for selling home-grown seedlings on flea market sites.)
In particular, it is safer not to propagate seedlings of unknown origin or unknown variety, such as those "given to you by an acquaintance."
Even in home gardening, there are cases where the areas where you can cultivate them are limited, or even within a region, it may be limited to producers participating in an association.

How to check

When you buy seedlings, there's a tag attached, right? If there are any prohibitions or restrictions, it is often written on the back, or it is clearly stated as a "registered variety" due to labeling obligations. If these are stated, you must not grow seedlings from them.

If you are wondering about the variety you are growing, you can search on the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries website. But! Depending on the item, it might not show up in a search under the common name used in distribution, so please pay attention to the following points.
・It is a variety sold at home centers or garden centers, and there is no mention of restrictions regarding seedling production or propagation on the attached tag
・Confirm that the rights have expired by searching online for "(Variety Name) Variety Registration"
Proceed with seedling production after going through these steps.

・Shoko
・Tochiotome
are fine to use for seedling production.

How to remove runners

Runners are attached quite firmly.
To avoid pulling the whole plant out when you pull the runner, hold the base of the plant (called the crown) and pull in the direction the runner is growing; it will snap off at the base. Sometimes it breaks in the middle of the runner, but the goal is to stop the runner's growth, so I think that's fine too👍🏻

How to plant runners

When a new leaf opens from the tip of the runner, it is time to plant it.

Anything that can hold down the runner and be inserted into the soil, such as an opened paperclip or a U-shaped hair pin, will work.
I use aluminum wire, which is often used for bonsai training.
At this time, just like when planting, be careful about the orientation.

If you insert a pin where it bends slightly to secure it to the soil, roots will emerge from the part touching the soil and anchor into it.

Once the daughter plant's roots have taken hold and it no longer wobbles, it is capable of absorbing its own nutrients, so it is fine to cut the runner—which acts like an umbilical cord—or you can leave it as is.

If the parent plant is diseased, the disease has often spread to the daughter plant as well, so it might not be usable as a backup if the original fails due to illness💦

We will look at the detailed seedling raising methods and precautions again when the time comes👍🏻