Since it is a hybrid, you should propagate by runners. Those will be true -- they're part of the mother plant. What the seeds produce is a different story.

"What the seeds produce is a different story." It will be interesting to learn what will seeds produce. I realize it will be difference, but will it be good?

"I realize it will be difference, but will it be good?"

No way to tell. And many hybrids can be sterile so no viable seed produced. I am also surprised they told you propagate by runners will diminish productivity. That is the standard method of strawberry propagation and undoubtedly how your bare root plants got started!

"Why compost is good for outdoor garden and not good for pots? If I use large and deep pots - can it replicate soil in a garden?"

You do not want to replicate garden soil. Growing plants in containers is a vastly different situation than growing the same plants in the ground and you cannot impose the same principles on both with equal success. What is critical to container gardening is fast drainage and good aeration, neither of which will be provided by compost. You want a soil-less potting mix. And strawberries are shallow rooted spreaders - you do not need or want a deep pot. And one that so filled with compost will just lean towards causing root rots. Listen to the advice given by Nourse - they know what they are talking about.

the media in pots.... is a water management system.. retaining the moisture the given plant needs.. and shedding excess .. different media.. is used for different plants ..

mother earth .. including compost..is SOIL ... and it is not a water management system ... dont use it in pots ...

ken

I was researching this today since my new Purple Wonder strawberry produced its first runner, this article has some great information: https://strawberryplants.org/what-are-strawberry-runners-stolons/

It's true that growing runners takes energy that could otherwise be used for growing fruit, but I wouldn't think just a few would hurt too much -- my plant has grown two so far, I pruned one and I'm letting the other root. If the plants do degrade over the years, the best solution imo is to constantly have new plants, and runners will get you identical clones.

Regarding the growing advice in question #1: I have grown strawberries for about 10 years now and my experience completely contradicts what the grower has indicated.

• Runners are genetically identical copies of the original plant - because they *are* the original plant. They are perfect propagations.
• You typically get less strawberries the first year because you have planted your bare root plants about a foot apart and you are letting the runners fill in the bed. In other words you want the plants to concentrate on growing roots and expansion the first year.
• You get great crops the second and third year.
• After the third year the plants start to diminish - but this is why the runners are so important. They are your new refreshed plants. You remove the originals, and let the second and third year runners produce again. And on and on the cycle goes.
• Of course, this means you never have to go back to the grower to buy new plants, and the cynical side of me is thinking that may be the reason for this odd advice.

About question #1. According to Nourse, only June bearing varieties produce better on the second year. Day neutral like Mara Des Boir produce the most fruit on the fist year. On the second year the same plants will still produce but the berries will be smaller. The same will be applied to runners - every new runner will produce smaller and smaller fruit which brings degradation of that population.

They at Nourse don't user runners to propagate, instead they use micro cuts of tissue to start new plants in a lab. They have a video on their website about how they do it. they claim that while other varieties may propagate through runners Mara Des Boir is not suitable for that. That was the reason I posted this question here to see if I could find somebody who has experience growing this variety to share his/her real-life experience.

One thing I have learned is there's somehow an old Houzz thread for any topic, no matter how specific: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2019467/mara-des-bois-strawberry

While the recommendation does seem to be removing runners to increase production, I can't find anything claiming propogated runners will "inherit" the mother plant's age and be less productive.

Personally I'd be a bit suspicious that the only place telling you to buy new plants every year is the place selling the plants... lol 🤔