How to Take Strawberry Plant Cuttings

Most types of strawberry plants will produce their best crops in their second and third years of growth. After your strawberry plants are a year old, you should start taking a few cuttings every year in early spring. You can also make new plants for friends or family who have admired your strawberry crop. Taking strawberry plant cuttings is easy enough that anyone can do it.

Look at your mother strawberry plant

Take a look at your plant. Are there any dead leaves that need to be pruned away? Get those out of the way first. Try to only pull leaves off that come loose easily, or you will risk damaging the mother plant. Then look at the out edges of your plant. Are there any healthy looking leaves with partially exposed root balls? This is where you want to take your cutting. If there aren't exposed roots, that's fine too. It's a good idea to wait until your plant has started budding new leaves.

Taking the cutting

Carefully grasp the stem of the leaves you'll be taking for a cutting. Try to take part of the root when you pull the stem away from the mother plant. You'll have faster results with a portion of the roots still attached. You can also use the runners that usually spring forth from the mother plant late in the growing season, but you'll want to get these well established before cold weather sets in.

Making a new strawberry plant

Using a clean cup, put just enough water in it to cover the root portion or bottom of the stem of the cutting. I use a clear glass for maximum light exposure. Check the water level every day and ensure it stays deep enough to cover the bottom of the stem. Place your cup with the cutting on a windowsill that gets as much sunlight during the day as possible. Do not cover any part of the leaves with water, as strawberry plants do not like this and will rot. After careful watering and plenty of sunlight, your stem will grow a new root system. Your cutting may also sprout new leaves while growing the new roots system.

Transferring your strawberry cutting to soil

Once your cutting has developed a decent root system in the glass, you'll be ready to transfer it into a pot with soil. Use a good quality soil that drains well. Strawberry plants don't usually like to have "wet feet" and won't thrive in soil that doesn't drain properly. Fill your pot two-thirds of the way with your soil (I put a small bed of rocks at the bottom of the pot, but this isn't necessary) and then carefully put the roots in the pot. Fill the rest of the pot with your soil, covering no higher than the top of the root system. Press the soil down, water well, and add soil if necessary to recover the roots.

Once your strawberry plant is making new leaves or flowers in the pot of soil, you can safely transfer it to a larger pot with room to grow, or the garden bed. Keep in mind that strawberry plants love to spread out, and will send runners out to start new plants when planting in the garden.

Sources:

Personal experience