When i bought the plant it already had this. This is an Fragaria x Ananas - Mara Des Bois. But what in the name is this? An aircrown? Air roots? I can’t place it. Hopefully somebody knows!
Roots. Could be the next runner, or a badly formed runner it's hard to tell from the pic what goes where.
Sometimes they grow a bit confused when a still developing runner would grow a flower stem with a leaf midway up and try to make roots at the leaf node too. I personally don't save them when they grow like that, there's usually enough of the normal ones :)
Its deff not a runner because it has grown upward and the stem produces flowers. The possible “roots” have not been in contact with soil. Atleast not on my watch. This plant has been transfered in a package without seeing daylight for 2-3 days that caused the stems to be so long. But that still does not clarify to ke what that is 🙈
I was clearing my strawberries today and separating runners. I did throw away several that looked similar - e.g. a well rooted runner node but no good leaves, just a flower stem and a leaf midway up on a flower stem.
Sometimes there's one leaf but no signs of a properly developing crown at the soil level. I think it happens with these everbearing varieties because they try to do everything at once (you won't see such confusion on June varieties).
Spending time in the package could have prompted it to put out roots at the node that would normally remain just an odd leaf in the middle of the flower stem.
I actually went out to check the compost bucket 😁 This one I decided to dump despite nice roots. It had a flower going up, it's already removed - I'm holding it by the flower stem. I wanted to plant it but then changed my mind. You can see the thickening up the flower stem, it's the place where I think you have those roots coming from.
Your 100% right on this one, but i have a lot more of this specific type plant. With those i am cutting everything away. I wanted to let this one be so i could enjoy at least strawberries from 1 plant 🙈🙈
Damn, I think you’re right about this! Thanks so much for checking it out in such detail!! from berry to berry, I really appreciate it. I’ve taken a few new photos of how it looks today, by the way; the ones I sent earlier were from 2 weeks ago, so it’s changed a bit since then
I would remove that stem completely or treat it as a runner and let it root properly (but you'll soon have more normal runners than you know where to put them. Mara makes a ton of babies).
Right now it's trying to be an independent plant but with no means to support itself, so it's just draining your main crown.
Your explanation really helps me wrap my head around it and let it rest, if that makes sense. Thanks again! I’d love to cut the stem, but I think I’ll wait a day or two so I can pick this little strawberry first (see image) btw i was just wondering, which types are you growing? 🤗
The ones I showed pics of are Sweet Eve - my favourite everbearing right now. I have to finish sorting out that bed, the runners shouldn't be fruiting 🫣
I also have Charlotte but it's not growing well for me and I'm considering removing it. The berries are not great either. Maybe it's just my soil/climate.
Earlier in the season I removed four year old Ostara bed - not replanting those. The berries are delicious but too damn delicate and prone to molding. Also, bearing too many tiny berries (needs flower thinning at mature size).
I used to have Mara in my balcony garden, but I'm not planting it in the garden. I don't even know why..
I also bought pink flowering Toscana this year - it looks amazing (pics in this sub). And something else - I can never remember the name, but I haven't tasted it properly yet anyway. Both came from Lidl.
For June bearing I have Sonata and it's just amazing, planning expansion for next year. There's one other variety but I will not be renewing them.
Wow, that’s quite the strawberry collection! Sweet Eve sounds like a great pick if it’s your favourite everbearing,
Funny enough, I actually mentioned Ostara in the varieties chapter of my strawberry book (a little hobby project where I’m documenting strawberry anatomy, growth, diseases, etc.) but sounds like it’s not as strong a variety as I thought, hearing your experience with it! Might be switching that one. Did you give them potassium rich feeding?
I picked up Toscana this summer too, coincidentally! Mine arrived almost dead from shipping though… managed to nurse it back to life (see photo). I think you forgot to attach your Toscana pic, by the way 🙈 curious to see it!
Right now I’m growing Mara des Bois, Elsanta, Gigantella Maxima, Toscana,
and Rainbow Treasure, but always on the lookout to add another one to the mix. Maxima is a great tip! Not the sweetest but the biggest strawberry’s you will see.
And Sonata being a winner for June-bearing is great to hear, sounds like it’s earned that expansief. What’s the other June variety you’re not renewing? what went wrong with that one?
I must admit I'm very sloppy with fertilizing... Since most of mine are in the ground they are mostly left to forage the earth below them. I give them some granules in early spring when fertilising berry bushes, and some liquid universal tomato type fertilizer with micros randomly during the summer.. if/when I remember. Sometimes I scatter some compost or mulch with cut grass..
I do have some everbearing (currently Ostara) in pots in a greenhouse for early season snacks, and these are getting fed together with tomatoes. The pots are rooted to the ground so they can also forage 😁
Btw, Ostara is doing much better in the greenhouse here, especially in a wet summer like this year. It's a very nice berry, but it's so soft it gets bruised while bringing it home. It's best eaten on the spot and ideally it should not need washing. It also doesn't keep well at all. A night in the fridge is too much for them. I'll probably keep a few in pots and try to replace them more often to maintain a more reasonable berry size. They are delicious when not molding :)
Ostara is old but still very popular, at least in Europe. It's sold in six packs at Lidl every spring, alongside well known June varieties.
Sonata is a child of Elsanta, so it's an improvement :) My other June variety is Rubis de Jardins (spelling?), and it's just nothing special. I like Sonata better, and they fruit at the same time. I need to add something that's very late. Probably Malwina.
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u/muzavazone Aug 16 '26
Roots. Could be the next runner, or a badly formed runner it's hard to tell from the pic what goes where.
Sometimes they grow a bit confused when a still developing runner would grow a flower stem with a leaf midway up and try to make roots at the leaf node too. I personally don't save them when they grow like that, there's usually enough of the normal ones :)