FreshAF cofounder, Jonah Helmer, Researcher in the Cornell Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Group, shows off the root growth of day neutral ‘Albion’ strawberry runners after seven days in the Deep Water Culture (DWC) root propagation stage. The strawberry runners are still attached to living mother plants, which are irrigated daily with Jack’s 21-5-20 General Hydroponics Fertilizer at 150ppm N. The runners are clasped in a GrowGrip and secured in a hole in the foam board with the bottom of their crowns just touching the surface of the aerated tap water below to initiate root growth. After two weeks in the root propagation stage the roots will be long enough to support the runner plants, which will be cut away from the mother plants and transplanted into experimental DWC systems.