Strawberry plants send out runners throughout the summer, and by late season these young plantlets are often well developed enough to be separated and planted on their own. A deep balcony trough gives them plenty of room to establish a proper root system before the colder months arrive.
Choosing and planting the runners
Select runners that already have a small cluster of their own roots forming, rather than ones still very close to the parent plant. These more developed runners settle in far more reliably than ones separated too early in their development.
Cut the runner free from the parent plant with clean scissors, leaving a short length of stem attached to the young plantlet. This makes it easier to handle without damaging the delicate new roots during the move to the trough.
Choose a trough that is reasonably deep, since strawberries develop a fairly substantial root system for their size, and fill it with fresh, well-draining compost before planting. A shallow container tends to dry out too quickly for young strawberry plants to thrive.
Plant each runner at the same depth it was growing before, taking care not to bury the crown of the plant, which sits at soil level between the roots and the leaves. Burying the crown too deeply is one of the most common reasons new strawberry plants fail to establish.
Space the runners generously within the trough rather than crowding them in together, since each plant will need room to spread as it establishes over the coming months. A little patience with spacing now avoids overcrowding later, when the plants are harder to separate without disturbing their roots.
Water thoroughly after planting, and keep the compost consistently moist while the runners settle in over the following weeks. With this head start now, the young plants have every chance of establishing well before growth slows for the winter.
