How to Plant a Strawberry Cut Off

What is a cut off?

A cut off is much like a bare root with a haircut.   Having the leaf matter removed from the top of the plant makes it easier to establish with a bit less watering.  Bare roots require overhead watering to establish while cut offs will establish just fine with drip irrigation.  Constant watering is needed for the two weeks after planting.

Photo by Jonathan Godfrey, Olde Carthage Farm 

How and when will cut offs arrive, and how should they be handled upon arrival?

Lassen Canyon has promised that our cut off order will be on one of the first trucks leaving California.  We will have a ~3 day window while they are in transit to let farmers know when they are arriving.  We anticipate receiving them the first week of October.  Lassen Canyon will freshly dig our cut offs, immediately pack them in a chilled warehouse and put them on a refrigerated tractor trailer set at 35 degrees.   Once plants arrive at our store, please plan to immediately pick them up.  If you are on one of our delivery routes, we will plan to deliver to you within 48 hours of their arrival.   Please have fields prepped and ready to plant.   Ideally, you should plant immediately upon receipt of your plants.  If you cannot plant, put cut offs directly into cold storage.  There are no guarantees as to how long they will keep in cold storage.

Box of Cut Offs from Lassen Canyon, Photo by Jonathan Godfrey, Olde Carthage Farm 

How to plant a cut off?

The trickiest part of cut offs is making sure their roots are planted all the way in the soil.   Cut offs are best established in plasticulture by planting with a plasticulture tool.   These tools can vary in design but they all are a short handled tool with a curve or “V” at the bottom to push the roots through the plastic and down into the soil.   We have had farmers report where they can look into their fields and see where cut offs were planted well and where they were not.  Proper planting will be critical to the long term health and productivity of your plants.  

Click here to see a video of the cut offs being planted!

Planting tool in use, Photo by Jonathan Godfrey, Olde Carthage Farm

How to establish cut offs?

Cut offs need constant watering for the first two weeks after planting.   Drip irrigation should be adequate, but overhead irrigation is also an option. When temperatures start to cool in the fall, it is recommended that cut offs be covered with row cover to keep soils warmer longer and encourage more fall root development.