Fragaria x ananassa, commonly known as strawberry plants, are fascinating. They have three ways of reproducing, produce absolutely scrumptious berries, and can live for over three years.
Strawberry Varieties
There are three main kinds of strawberry varieties—day neutral, June-bearing, and ever-bearing. June-bearing varieties have a HUGE harvest in, you guessed it, June, while day-neutral and ever-bearing varieties have smaller harvests throughout the year.
Strawberry Anatomy
The strawberry is a low-growing herbaceous plant that lives close to the ground. The strawberry has four main parts to the plant—the crown, roots, fruit/flowers, runners, and leaves. The crown of a strawberry is the central part of the strawberry plant that connects the roots and stems. The runner (or stolon) is a long stem that from it, sprouts a new daughter plant. Strawberry flowers also sprout from the crown, and when pollinated, produce strawberries along with seeds.
Strawberry Reproduction
There are three main ways that strawberry plants reproduce: runners, seeds, and crown division.
Runners: As previously discussed, runners are long stems that shoot out from the crown into nearby areas as a baby strawberry plant grows from it. Once runners touch the soil, they begin to grow roots and become an independent plant. This is a type of asexual reproduction, meaning that the offspring is identical to the host.
Seeds: Strawberry seeds appear on the outside of the fruit, which comes from pollinated flowers. Many varieties of strawberry plants cannot be planted from seeds since many varieties are a cross between two, and their genes can mess up when it is not a direct clone of the original plant.
Crown Division: Like runners, crown division is also asexual, and the offspring results in a direct clone. Crown division is when you divide up a strawberry plant that has two or more crowns.
Planting Strawberries
Strawberries like to grow in zones 3-10, but it mostly depends on the variety. Pick a variety that fits your gardening situation and one that you think is right for you.
After you pick the variety, it’s time to find seeds/starter plants. Remember, some varieties cannot be planted through seeds, so keep that in mind. If you think seeds take too long, then you can purchase starter strawberry plants that come as potted plants, root plugs, or bare roots.
Strawberries prefer soil with good drainage, full sun, and are a rather easy-to-grow plant compared to other berries. Strawberry plants don’t have very deep roots, which makes it a perfect plant for containers. These plants are perennials, which means that they come back year after year, but their fruit production slows down in their 5th year, so you might have to replace them.
Related Articles:
https://bonnieplants.com/blogs/how-to-grow/growing-strawberries
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry
https://www.almanac.com/plant/strawberries
https://www.mysoulfulhome.com/my-soulful-home/growing-strawberries-101-guide
Take Action:
https://www.amazon.com/Seascape-Strawberry-Plants-Planters-Producer/dp/B0D7479FJT?th=1
