No responses yet, so I'll post what I found out for other beginners like me ...............
A friend that has grown Dahlias for years told me that if I pot them up, to make sure the soil is dry.
She also told me that she keeps her new arrivals in a refrigerator until she is ready to plant them. Make sure there is no fruit or vegetables in the fridge .... no food at all is best. Apparently the issue is with the gasses given off by fruit and veggies.
