How to Propagate Plants Using Runners and Stolons

Some plants do much of the propagation work themselves. They send out horizontal stems — runners or stolons — that produce new plantlets at intervals along their length or at their tips. Strawberries are the best-known example, but spider plants (chlorophytum), bugle (ajuga), creeping Jenny (lysimachia), and mint all spread in similar ways. Understanding how to direct, pin, and time the severing of these natural runners turns a plant's own growth habit into an efficient propagation method.

Runners Versus Stolons: What Is the Difference?

The terms are often used interchangeably in gardening contexts. Technically, a runner is an above-ground horizontal stem that produces a plantlet at its tip (or at nodes), while a stolon is a similar stem that may grow at or just below the soil surface. In practice, both work the same way for the propagator — a new plant forms at a node, sends down roots where it contacts moist soil or compost, and can eventually be detached and grown independently. Focus on the plantlet rather than the botanical label.

How to Pin and Root Runners

For strawberries, select runners from the most vigorous, healthy, disease-free parent plants. Each parent plant can support two to four runners without the drain on energy reducing fruiting significantly. Pin the plantlet node to the surface of a small pot of compost sunk into the ground beside the parent, using a bent wire or a large paperclip. The compost pot allows you to sever and move the new plant without any disturbance to the roots. Roots form in four to six weeks during summer. For spider plants, pin the aerial plantlets to small pots in exactly the same way.

When to Sever the Runner

Sever the runner once you can see the new plant is actively growing — new leaves unfurling and the roots clearly established. For strawberries, this is typically late summer. Cut the runner close to the parent and also close to the new plant. If the new plant is already in a pot, you can move it immediately. If pinned directly into the bed, lift carefully with a trowel, keeping the root ball intact, and either pot on or plant in its permanent position. In both cases, water in well and keep moist for two weeks.

Managing Unwanted Spread

Plants that spread by runners can become invasive if left unmanaged. Mint planted in open beds will colonise a large area within two seasons. Contain it in a buried pot or a raised bed with solid sides. Strawberry runners left unpegged root wherever they touch soil and create a tangled mat that reduces fruit quality. Remove all runners that you do not want to propagate as soon as they appear — this keeps the parent plant's energy directed toward fruiting and keeps the bed manageable.