Strawberry Runner Rooter

You can buy strawberries in bare-root format, but they were grown in soil and that's messy to get into hydroponics, plus, the roots are not configured for growing in water. Neither of these are insurmountable. But what if you have strawberries already.

Strawberries put out runners that grow new clones. If you peg them in soil then they will grow into a whole new strawberry plant… If you peg them in rockwool the roots grow in that… and you can prepare the roots for water growing to give them a head start next season.

Trying to get a pin or peg to stuck enough in rockwool to let the roots grow is a pain in the butt… Not any more. Seriously over-engineered, this version clamps the runner and it all works a bit better.

There are 2 lid versions; One that has a loop for hanging if your runners are airborne (in hanging baskets for example) and one that does not have a loop… put them on a plate on the ground.

Which version should I use

• Version 1 was just plain chunky. Skip that.
• Version 2 uses the least filament.
• Version 3 takes the least time.

All those leasts are small, so maybe a better way of saying it is:

• Version 1 was the beta.
• Version 2 is bumpy.
• Version 3 is smoooooth, with a capital smoo.

Hints and tips

If you have a particularly stubborn node that is pretty advanced already, you can cut a slot in the Rockwool. You can even cut the Rockwool mostly in half as when the roots grow through it they will hold it all together.