Strawberry plants are perennial ground covers that naturally spread using specialized horizontal stems called runners (stolons). These runners extend from the parent plant and form new, genetically identical plantlets, known as daughter plants. While this is the plant’s natural method of expansion, gardeners must intervene to manage this growth. The process of “dividing” involves separating and transplanting these young daughter plants to maintain productivity and plant health.
Why Managing Runners is Necessary
Allowing every runner to take root quickly leads to an overcrowded strawberry patch. This dense growth creates excessive competition among plants for resources like water, light, and soil nutrients. The result is a decline in the quality and quantity of the harvest, often leading to smaller, less flavorful berries.
The parent plant expends considerable energy producing runners, which drains resources away from fruit production and the development of strong buds for the following year’s crop. Furthermore, a dense patch impedes necessary air circulation around the crowns and leaves. Poor airflow creates a humid microclimate, increasing susceptibility to fungal diseases, such as gray mold or leaf spot. Regular management ensures the long-term vigor of the strawberry bed.
The Optimal Time for Plant Management
The optimal time to manage the strawberry patch and transplant new plants is immediately following the main harvest period. This window typically opens in late summer and extends into early fall, generally from July through September, depending on the climate and variety. Transplanting during this cooler period minimizes stress on the young plants, which are susceptible to heat and drought during the summer months.
This timing allows the newly separated plants maximum time to establish a robust root system before winter dormancy. Strong root development in the fall is linked to the plant’s ability to survive the winter and its potential for high yield the following spring. For June-bearing varieties, which produce a single large crop, management should occur right after the harvest is complete.
For everbearing and day-neutral varieties, which produce multiple smaller flushes of fruit throughout the season, management should occur during a natural lull between their major fruiting cycles. Regardless of the type, complete the transplanting process four to six weeks before the first hard frost to allow the young plants to fully settle into their new location.
The Process of Separating and Transplanting
The management process begins by identifying the healthiest daughter plants that have rooted into the soil. A viable runner-plant will have several developed leaves and a substantial root system anchored independently of the parent plant. Once a suitable daughter plant is selected, the slender runner connecting it to the mother plant should be severed using clean, sharp shears.
To minimize root disturbance, the young plant should be carefully dug up with a hand trowel, ensuring a generous amount of the surrounding soil and root mass is lifted. This technique helps maintain the integrity of the root ball, which is essential for successful re-establishment. Unneeded or weak runner-plants, and any remaining runners still attached to the parent, should be removed and discarded to redirect the mother plant’s energy toward flower bud formation.
The new planting site should be prepared with well-draining, organically rich soil and spaced correctly for the variety, typically 12 to 18 inches apart. When transplanting, ensure the crown—the point where the leaves emerge and the roots begin—sits precisely at soil level. Planting too deep will bury the crown, inviting rot, while planting too shallow will expose the roots, causing desiccation. After planting, the new transplants require thorough watering to eliminate air pockets in the soil and settle the roots, initiating the crucial establishment phase.