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Dahlias after winter

VicksMadVicksMad Posts: 2
edited March 2022 in Problem solving
Hello! Howling someone can help. 

I’ve had my dahlias indoors all winter, they started to shoot up and were doing well. On Wednesday we had a lovely sunny day so I popped them out for a water and some sunshine. Stupidly I forgot to bring them in and we had a light frost. The leaves have gone black! Is there anything I can do to try and save them? I was going to cut them back but wasn’t sure what to do for the best.

Any advice helpful! Feel like such an idiot for doing this 🙈 

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    If it was only a light frost they should be okay. Personally l wouldn't cut the leaves off, but others might say differently. Just make sure not to do it again, as l'm not sure they'd survive a second frost.
    Don't worry about it though, we've all done it !
  • VicksMadVicksMad Posts: 2
    They are back indoors now, won’t be going out for a few weeks more now. I think next year I’ll be taking the tubers out and storing differently. Spare room is quite warm so I think they’ve come a bit early anyway.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'd say the same as @AnniD- a light frost will likely have done very little harm in the long run, but it can affect their growth for a while. I've done a similar thing with a pelargonium one autumn, but our frost was a minus 6, so they had no chance!

    New growth is always a bit more susceptible, and even putting them out for a while each day has it's own problems. They should produce more hopefully, and you can take it from there.

    Get yourself a timer too... ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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