09/06/2026
At the center of a strawberry plant is a short, compact stem called the crown. Much of the plant’s visible growth begins from this small structure.
Leaves emerge upward from growing points on the crown, while flower stalks develop to produce blossoms and eventually fruit. During active growth, the crown can also produce long horizontal stems called runners, or stolons.
These runners extend across the soil and form daughter plants at their nodes. Once those young plants develop roots, they can establish independently while remaining temporarily connected to the parent.
Roots grow from the lower region of the crown into the soil, completing the plant’s compact organization.
Because the crown contains important growing points, its position matters when planting strawberries: it should remain around soil level rather than being deeply buried.