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Bulbs/dahlia bulbs
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Question
I'm in Zone 7.
Can you cut back and dig up Dahlia bulbs that are still flowering or must you wait for them to die back and/or the first frost?
Cutting before they're ready is asking for trouble, and will always take a toll on the tubers.
If you MUST lift them early for some reason, consider potting them for the next few weeks until they have had an opportunity to adjust to dormancy, and then cut back. It's hard enough to keep some Dahlias thru the Winter without losing them. Do what you can to keep the odds you have from getting smaller. That's my opinion. Thanks for asking.
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Long Island Gardener
Expertise
Growing Tulips? Dahlias? Daffodils? Gladiolus? It doesn't get easier than bulbs and tubers. Once in a while, something goes wrong: The dreaded Narcissus Bulb Fly, which resembles a honeybee. Mosaic virus, which can ignite a field of tulips in a single season. Nematodes, lurking underground. Here on the North Shore of Long Island, the garden is full of surprises. If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I can help you pick the right bulb for every season, indoors and out, and help you fertilize, bloom and harvest for home or work. How: I have degrees in related fields, but my best understanding is all learned from trial and error. For most of my 53 years I have been gardening somewhere. No matter what the problem, I've learned the best answers are always Organic -- Earth friendly, less expensive, healthier for people and pets, easier and cleaner than toxic liquids and powders that big chemical companies sell so smoothly.
Experience
Besides degrees in related fields, and a few favorite horticultural societies, I work as a docent at our local botanical gardens -- but it's the years of work in the garden that's the real test.
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