nly wa we are going to be able to tell you if it is botritis is if you put a photo up. What makes you think it is that rather than mould?

In any case you can certainly grow on some of the runners.

Thanks for the answers. Perhaps it is mold, Moon grower. I had only heard of botritis, so assumed that was the problem. If it is mold, what should I do, please?
I'm glad to hear that I can still use the runners.
I couldn't see how to add photos to this post, so have added them to my original question. Sorry they are poor quality.

Yup grey mould caused by botrytis take a look at this website for advice as to how to deal with

http://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/fruitarticles/strawberry/y-pest-disease.php

It is important to have good air circulation around your strawberry plants and not to water late in the afternoon. Once you have grey mould there is little you can do and the spores can remain in the soil for your and can affect other crops.

I would destroy all your plants and runners and buy new stock and grow in a new bed away from the old. As per a previous question; strawberries will build up viruses after a while which can be transmitted through old stock and being grown in the same place for too long.

Consider using a strawberry pot up on the patio - new plants, new soil.

Apologies if I was wrong about using the runners...hadn't seen how bad it is then.

Many thanks for all the help.

I'll grow new strawberry plants elsewhere in the garden.

Now, a few more related questions, please!
Should I remove the top layer--say one foot--of the soil in the present strawberry bed, before I plant anything else in there, or is it only strawberry plants which are affected by botritis?
Where can I get strawberry plants at a reasonable price....the local garden centre was selling them at £5 a plant!!!!
How can I be sure the next lot of plants will be disease free?
And, lastly, is there a way of preventing this happening again?
Many thanks for all your help and patience!

Wow, your strawberry plants are expensive! The next batch will likely suffer the same fate. Removing the top layer won't work - the microscopic spores are blowing in the wind. They are everywhere.

The best advice I can offer is using strawberry pots with new soil that is away from the existing spores. The pot will answer most of your questions except for where to buy strawberry plants.

Here is an interesting little video that shows exactly how to go about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiMfVprdYQ8

£5 for a plant sounds a little expensive, you may want to buy on-line Unwins is offering 5 plants in pots or plug plants for £9.99 http://www.unwins.co.uk/strawberry-plants-cid101.html You could also try different GCs. Now is not the right time to plant new strawberries either October or March/April, personally I'd wait until next spring. You don't necessarily need to use a strawberry pot any reasonable size container will do but you won't be able to plant the number of plants you had in the ground.

look at your local gardening group, walk round to the local allotments [if you have any] and ask if they have any for sale. I sell mine in the spring for 50p each.

Sorry to persevere with this but every kind response makes me think of another question!
Bathgate, you said that the spores are blowing in the wind. Does that mean they're always present in the garden? If so, why doesn't everyone have the problem, and what can I do to prevent it happening again?
I suppose growing in pots is a good idea, because it's easier to get rid of the whole thing, plant and soil, if there is a problem.
Thank you.

Yes the spores are always there and can be present in the garden. You planted your strawberry plants too close together giving idea conditions when it was warm and damp for the mould to attack, spread them out more and remove the runners once they have rooted and plant on in pots or in the soil elsewhere.

Trying to explain exactly why your strawberry crop was a huge failure is extremely difficult especially from way over here in New York. Your plants look as if they were torched in a fire. I'm sure they were strong healthy plants at one point. I'm trying to offer an alternative to what you have now. A strawberry pot can support a dozen plants at one time and you can throw it off a cliff if it doesn't work.

While you inadvertently mentioned the term 'torched in a fire' Bathgate; I seem to remember that once upon a time, market gardeners used to burn off the old strawberry foliage at the end of the season as a measure to prevent the spread of viruses.

I've a vague memory of that too Jimmy! Snag is Canalhopper, accidentally, provided almost perfect conditions for grey mould to grow by planting the strawberries too close together to start with. So, come the warm humid weather the botritis grabbed its chance and struck. If it is warm and humid and there isn't enough air circulation this can happen very quickly. Spotted early enough you can just remove the affected plants but, I suspect, that in this case the mould rampaged very quickly though the crop! We gave up growing strawberries because they seemed to always end up as slug food and focussed on rasps.