Can Dahlia seedlings that have just sprouted in winter withstand freezing?

Dahlia is a flowering plant with rich colors and brilliant blooms, and its flowers are also large. It can bloom twice a year, so gardening friends familiar with this flower tend to like it. But dahlia is not cold-tolerant. After entering winter, its aboveground parts will die back, and the underground tubers will gradually enter dormancy.

Dahlia in the dormant period grows very slowly. After all, its metabolic process is also very slow, basically in a state of stagnant growth, which is mainly affected by low temperatures. But if in winter we can provide it with a suitable growing environment, especially if temperature and humidity are guaranteed, then its tubers may also sprout early.

Since dahlia is a flowering plant with poor cold tolerance, the new shoots sprouting in winter are naturally not cold-tolerant either. New shoots only appear when temperature and humidity conditions are guaranteed, so if we want the new shoots not to be frozen to death, we generally need to provide them with normal-temperature protection. If planting in winter, we can place them in a greenhouse, which can accelerate their metabolism, thereby allowing sprouting and flowering to occur earlier.

But if in winter we only place them indoors, the plant will at most avoid frost damage, but getting them to sprout smoothly is also relatively difficult. Even if they fortunately sprout because the temperature is suitable for a period of time, they still need to be placed in a greenhouse in time for growing, otherwise their tender shoots will likewise be damaged by freezing. As for dahlia tubers stored indoors, if they have not been frozen, they will generally sprout when the temperature warms up in spring the following year.

The sprouting temperature for dahlia is usually between 19°c-21°c. Even in the relatively warmer southern regions of China in winter, this sprouting temperature often cannot be reached. Winter in the southern regions of China generally remains between 0°c-10°c, while in the northern regions of China, winter is basically far below 0°c. So whether in the southern regions or northern regions of China, it is basically impossible to make them sprout naturally in winter. It is already good if they do not freeze badly.

Therefore, even if we provide dahlia in winter with the temperature conditions necessary for sprouting and let it ultimately sprout early, as long as it loses the guarantee of warm constant temperature, its tender shoots will still be damaged by freezing and unable to survive. Unless it is kept in a greenhouse throughout the winter, it will inevitably die.