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What do I do with my green dahlias?
Q My container dahlias still have green leaves and flower buds. Should I lift them or wait until the leaves and stems go black?
Bob Carter, Warwick
A There are two ways you can tackle your dahlias. They have stopped growing now, despite the impression that the leaves and buds give, so you could just cut them back and lift the tubers to dry off before storing.
Alternatively, if you have the space, you could put the pots somewhere frostfree, and leave the tubers undisturbed, letting the stems die back naturally. The wet compost risks causing the tubers to rot, but under cover it will dry out and as long as it is peat-based or a peatalternative based, it will be an ideal medium in which to store the tubers.
They can then be re-planted
