Help! My dahlias are already sprouting
Q
I dug up my dahlias for overwintering, but some have already started to sprout. Is this normal?
Richard Starling, Reading, Berkshire
AYour dahlias are sprouting prematurely due to the mild autumn. There’s no need to worry though, just leave the sprouts on and before replanting next year break off any that have grown long and spindly. Dahlias are able to produce plenty of shoots from their tubers, so they will grow more.
Store the tubers somewhere dry and cool that stays above freezing when the weather gets very cold. This could be in a shed, a garage or in a greenhouse on the staging.
In very cold weather you could protect your dahlias with a covering of newspaper, fleece or sacking.