I am a newbie that did manage to over winter a couple tubers last year. I have quite a few more this year! I cut this one back just after our first freeze when it turned black then left it to harden off for winter. Well....winter seems to have lost its way. Temps are up in the 50-60s and we should be in the 30-40s! I went ahead a dug up the clump (waited almost 3 weeks) and here it is. It looks like some eyes are budding out. Will it be ok? Should I leave the clump together for now and get it in the basement? Advise is appreciated.

Its a healthy looking clump!.

Those tight one are tricky to divide. You can try storing it whole and dividing in the spring, or dividing now and storing the tubers separately. Stored whole, you should probably cover it in slightly damp peat moss or vermiculite in a container and keep it as cold as you can without freezing it. If your basement is heated, your garage might be better, unless it gets really cold.

This is a good article on dividing and storing
http://cubits.org/Dahlias/arti...

Hi Mandolls!

This one grew like crazy this year! I already divided and wrapped my ones from you. This one is different in that the clump is huge and tight AND the buds seem to be already trying to grow and that is what I was worried about.

The sprouts will dry up, but new ones will form in the spring - you don't really need to worry about them. They are actually helpful in that you know where at least some of the eyes are when you divide.