Q: Do I have to wait until the first frost occurs to cut down my plants or can I cut them down now and dig them up a week or two later?

A: It's OK to cut at this time. Traditionally the plants take about 150 days to form tubers. Should be fine now. Just keep in ground 2 weeks before digging tubers. - Tom Cleere MIDS

Q: Can you tell me how to save the bulbs over the winter? Last year the ones I saved rotted during the winter.

A: Storing dahlias is perhaps the most confusing part of dahlia growing. Here are a few hints that should work. If we had an old root cellar then our problem would be solved. We need to create a micro climate just like a root cellar. First we need a cool (45-55 degrees F) location that is somewhat damp or not heated so the air gets too dry. Next we need to cure our tubers that we have dug and washed. I like to divide my clumps in quarters. Be sure to get rid of most of the stem and any rot you may see. I then place them on a table in my unheated garage on about 4-5 sheets of newspaper. I place the same amount of newspaper over them and top this off with a piece of plastic. Now what is happening is the tubers will give off moisture and the paper gets wet while the plastic prevents all of the moisture from evaporating. We are curing the dahlia tubers so they get a tough skin. After about 10 days to two weeks they should be cured and are ready to be packed away. I pack in apple boxes which are readily available at this time of the year. I line the bottom and sides with lots of newspaper and place my cured tubers in as tight as possible, cover the top with more newspaper and place the cover on the box. Place the box in an area that will stay cool but not freeze.
Do remember if you talk to 10 dahlia growers you will get 10 different ways to store. The whole secret is to create the micro climate and CURE the tubers. Be sure to check them every month and remove any that may rot before they go through the whole box. Good Luck! - Steve Nowotarski MIDS