Strawberry plants can produce giant, juicy berries with just one simple, five-minute task: pruning off runners.
Runners, also known as stolons or suckers, are long stems that grow out from the mother plant to create new plants. While this natural spreading method helps strawberries in the wild, in your garden these runners divert energy away from fruit production.
Experts at Epic Gardening explain that removing runners encourages the plant to focus its energy on growing larger, tastier berries instead of producing new plants. This technique is widely used by commercial growers to maintain consistently big and juicy strawberries.
Pruning runners is not mandatory for every strawberry patch, but for gardeners dreaming of plump, supermarket-quality berries, it makes a huge difference. The task takes only a few minutes but can transform your harvest.
Additionally, growing June-bearing strawberry varieties, which naturally produce larger fruit, combined with proper watering and fertilizing practices, will help maximize berry size and flavor. Avoid fertilizing when flowers are blooming to prevent excessive leaf growth at the expense of fruit.
By focusing on these simple care steps—especially pruning runners—you can enjoy a bountiful harvest of giant, juicy strawberries right from your garden.
