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when to pull strawberry runners to plant in qld aust

Author

Liam Parker

Updated on July 05, 2026

Basically, anytime between spring and fall is okay as long as the runners have produced adequate root growth. Strawberry plants usually send out a number of runners, so choosing some for cutting shouldn’t be too difficult. Depending on how many you want to grow, three or four should be good to start with.

Should strawberry plant runners be removed?

Strawberry Runners

Each runner has a tiny plant at its end and these can be rooted and grown on to produce new plants. Runners take a lot of the plant’s energy to produce, so in the first two years of life they should be cut off from where they emerge to concentrate the plant’s efforts on fruit production.

Can I plant strawberry runners now?

Strawberries need a cold spell to initiate flowers and fruit – ideally a fortnight below 7°C. So if you can, order and plant your runners in autumn.

What do you do with strawberry plants at the end of the season?

After harvesting, remove the straw or matting that has been protecting fruit from the ground. Compost straw and debris, or clean and store matting for next year. Cut off old leaves with hand shears and remove, leaving the crown and new leaves untouched.

What do you do with strawberry runners in the winter?

The old straw is the perfect hiding place for pests such as slugs, so is best removed and composted or disposed of. Next work along the rows in your bed tidying up the strawberry plants by removing any dead or dying leaves. This frees room for new leaves to grow, creating a leafy, healthy plant for over-wintering.

Should I cut my strawberry plants back for winter?

What is this? Cutting back plants after they have completed fruiting helps regenerate new growth for the following year’s crop. And by doing so in mid-summer, it also allows them enough time to grow a bit of foliage for winter protection. June bearing strawberries should be cut back in July after their harvest.

How do you keep strawberry runners for the next year?

Putting them in pots or other suitable containers will allow you to water them through the winter. If their roots dry out, they die. If you do shake off all the dirt from the roots (not recommended), you can store them in sand, peat moss, wood chips, re-cover with dirt, or just about any moisture-holding medium.

When should strawberries be cut back?

What is this? It is best to mow strawberry plants within one week after they produce their last harvest. Mowing strawberries after this week will likely result in damage to new foliar growth. No strawberry plants should be mowed after the first day of August.

Do strawberry runners produce fruit?

As the runners grow, a cluster of small leaves form on their tips, and new roots start growing from the base. Once those roots set and the leaves mature, voila! A new strawberry plant is born. The following year, the plant will produce fruit.

What do you do with strawberry plants at the end of the season in Australia?

Stolons will develop a small, new plant on the end, and once these new plants have developed roots, they can be chopped off from the parent plant and replanted. When replanting a large strawberry, removing the flowers and fruit can assist the plant to establish more rapidly and minimise transplant stress.

Can I cut strawberry runners and plant them?

A. Yes you can remove the runners now, or you can leave them on the plant, it won’t affect fruiting. When you remove the runners, plant them out to become your strawberry plants for next season.

Will strawberries come back every year?

Strawberries are perennials, and will grow back in the springtime if the plants are healthy. While the leaves of strawberry plants can die over the winter, the roots can survive colder temperatures. Strawberry plants will regrow up from their roots every year, provided that the roots are healthy and survive winter.

How many years will a strawberry plant last?

Strawberry plants can produce fruit for up to four or five years. However, the crop yield mahy reduce dramatically after the first two or three years due to disease, so we recommend buying a new plant at that time.

Where do strawberry plants go in the winter?

In southernmost parts of zone 6 and zone 7, where it is likely for the ground to freeze, it is best to cover them but they don’t have to be covered. If you live in a warmer zone, like zones 8 or 9 you do not need to cover them. ‘