Gardeners can use matted rows or they can use a hill system to train strawberries.
Matted Rows
- Spacing strawberry plantsStrawberries in a matted row system should be planted 18 inches to two feet apart. Rows should be three feet to 42 inches from center to center.
- Strawberry Runners.Allow runners to grow and develop until the empty space between the row is about a foot to a foot and a half wide. Keep the middle of the rows empty by either moving runners or pruning them.
- Prune the strawberry runners until there are four to six runners left to each plant. This allows the plant to develop in a controlled way, yet permits it to keep enough food and nutrients to produce the berries.
- Space Runners. Arrange the runners until they are eight to 10 inches from each other.
- Press Runner Roots. When the runners are in place, and small plants begin to form along the runner, press the plant gently into the soil about a half an inch deep. These are going to become daughters, perfect clones of the parent. They don’t have to be pressed into the soil. If the gardener prefers, large carpenter staples or some other form of keeping the daughter plant close up against the ground. Some strawberry growers simply use forked twigs to hold the plants down.
Do Nots.
- Do not let any new runners develop from the daughter plant.
- Do not cut the daughter plant from the mother plant. When enough plants have developed (when the spaces between the plants have been filled and only eight to 10 inches of empty space remains between rows, pinch off any new runners.
Next growing season, remove all new runners.
Now here’s the difficult part. Pinch off all flowers and any newly-forming fruit during the first growing season.
Failing to do this will reduce the vigor and strength of the plant. Next growing season, get ready for some great strawberries.
Hill Systems Space plants 12 to 15 inches apart in a row.
Spacing Plants.
- Remove runners. Remove all runners until the plants are established.
- Separate strawberry runners.Once the plants appear as actually strong, separate plants, allow runners to form. Use new plants forming from runners to replace older, less vigorous plants.
- Space Rows.Space rows about two feet apart (from center to center).
- Remove flowers and berries during the first growing system but allow them to form for the next. For instance, if the strawberries are planted in the spring, don’t allow them to produce until the fall cycle. If they are planted in fall, don’t let them produce until spring.
Strawberries raised in hill systems tend to be larger than those raised in matted row systems.
You may also be interested in reading:
Planting Strawberries
Strawberry Types and Cultivars
Strawberry Pests