Are my dahlias still alive after being taken indoors for winter

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They're in 10 litre pots and I put them in the garage in November and brought them out last week since its been mild, its my first year having them so I'm not sure if this is normal but the pruned stem looks a bit dead is this how its supposed to look like
 

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Hi, it might be a bit early for bringing them out i would wait for the last frost to pass late March, yes it perfectly normal for last years growth to die they will throw up new shoots when there ready, dont forget we had snow mid march last year.
 
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Hi, it might be a bit early for bringing them out i would wait for the last frost to pass late March, yes it perfectly normal for last years growth to die they will throw up new shoots when there ready, dont forget we had snow mid march last year.

Ok thanks, I moved house over winter and there's no where I can put them to keep them out of the frost unfortunately that's why they're outside now, are you supposed to cut off the dead shoot once the new growth starts
 
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Hi most people dig the tubers up and store them over winter i am no expert far from it have a read here it should help, a more experienced member should be able to help you more good luck with them.
 
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Ah ok, I thought since they were in pots that bringing them inside would work too, next winter I'll dig them up then
 
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Ah ok, I thought since they were in pots that bringing them inside would work too, next winter I'll dig them up then

Hi i presume the people who dig them up they are in the ground not in pots bringing them in should be sufficient, mine are left in the ground and come back every year.
 
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I am trying my Dahlias in small wooden planters this year. They are a cube about 1 foot on each side. I left them in the ground the first year and lost them all. I don't want to have to dig them up every year [getting too old to do that :)] so I put them in the small planter boxes which I then brought inside to a cold space for the winter. I'll have to see if they survived.
 
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Mine are under a window i presume the radiator on the inside keeps the ground warm enough for them to survive.
Maybe, the ground is usually a lot warmer right next to the house, but maybe not enough to stop them freezing, which they can't take.
 
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I will be growing a few things in pots this year i might introduce a few Dahlias.
 
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Your Location? As long as your pots don't freeze, I think you'd be ok storing them as such for a year or so... afterwards you may want to divide the tubers.

Here in NE Ohio, USA, it's paramount Dahlia Tubers are dug, washed & properly stored each season. I've been growing Dahlias for 4 years now... Lot's to learn bringing success & failures each year.
 

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Agree with @NE Ohio John ! You've such a big pot, it should be fine. But it must be put in a totally frost free area. Whatever you do, don't cut the stem, just in case you cut the eyes as the eyes are where the new stems come up this year. I live in East London which is famous for its drought and heat. I normally leave them in the ground (dahlias are from Mexico, so they love the heat). As you live in possibly a rain-sodden area, rain is more a problem as tubers hate being stuck in wet soil which will rot them. So it's a good idea to put them in such a big pot in a frost free shed or even greenhouse. If you have a propagator, you could put the pot in 15c propagator and you should see new shoots coming up.
50417


I think I did this about a month ago. Also, if you put a thin polystyrene tray (eg a pizza backing sheet) underneath the pot, it will raise the temperature a bit, but if the roots grow through the tray, don't worry, just snip around the tray and plant the tubers with them. They won't harm them. However, if you're a purist, you may frown at the idea!

Good luck!
 
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Agree with @NE Ohio John ! You've such a big pot, it should be fine. But it must be put in a totally frost free area. Whatever you do, don't cut the stem, just in case you cut the eyes as the eyes are where the new stems come up this year. I live in East London which is famous for its drought and heat. I normally leave them in the ground (dahlias are from Mexico, so they love the heat). As you live in possibly a rain-sodden area, rain is more a problem as tubers hate being stuck in wet soil which will rot them. So it's a good idea to put them in such a big pot in a frost free shed or even greenhouse. If you have a propagator, you could put the pot in 15c propagator and you should see new shoots coming up. View attachment 50417

I think I did this about a month ago. Also, if you put a thin polystyrene tray (eg a pizza backing sheet) underneath the pot, it will raise the temperature a bit, but if the roots grow through the tray, don't worry, just snip around the tray and plant the tubers with them. They won't harm them. However, if you're a purist, you may frown at the idea!

Good luck!


I'm in Ireland it does usually get quite wet and miserable here but so far this winter has been fairly mild just wet, sadly I don't have anywhere else I can place them until spring so they have been outside for a month or so now, in that time there might have been a little bit of frost so I suppose it's possible that they've died, if it wasn't for the stem I would be able to stack them on top of each in a small narrow shed, I really should have dug them up when I moved house, would it be pointless to dig them up now that we're in March since they've already been out in the elements since early February?
 

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