Dahlia dormant?

In April, Crews Hill Gardeners Club were having a special on dahlias. £1 each, so I went a bit mad and bought about 15!
Potted them up in pots and kept them indoors to get them going.
All but 2 came up, and are now outdoors.

I kept the 2 pots with no signs of growth indoors. Yesterday, I scratched away a bit of the soil and was surprised to see some live roots. Not wanting to disturb them further i haven't investigatwd further.
It is July, and there is no foliage, yet the roots seem to be actively growing.

Any ideas?

 

I thought I'd lost all mine but am discovering live shoots below the surface. I think the slugs are eating them off before they get any further. Keep them potted up (you haven't got anything to lose) and try slug protection.

It is very, very late for a dahlia to be showing but they may yet produce a late season display.

 

They have been indoors. Definately no slug damage!

I am not too worried about getting flowers this year. But if they are not going to come back, i may as well bin them.

 

Hi Sirius,
dahlias like sun, I would put them in the sunshine to warm up the soil as a start-up signal

 

What is this sunshine of which you speak?

 

Indeed. They are warmer indoors.

 

Bottom heat will help to bring them on if they are just being lazy / dormant. You got a reptile mat, for example?

 

but that hasn't helped yet ?!
I like kristens advice too. Just some kind of warmth, be inventive

 

I don't have a reptile mat.
Should I try the airing cupboard?

 

Yup, airing cupboard fine. Anything that will give you 30C or high 20's constantly. Standing it on a propagator base would be another option. (Radiator would do, but hopefully yours are turned off now!!)

 

Radiator:
With the weather we are having.....maybe not!

 

I had the same problem, last years roots were kept and potted up in almost dry compost back in April and last week still nothing, tapping them out of the pot revealed masses of roots to the point that they were almost root-bound but not a single shoot.....!!!!!.....there wasn't a slug in sight either as they'd been kept on a shelf in the greenhouse; so they've been warm too...

 

Sounds exactly what has happened to mine.

 

Its the big yellow thing that is usually in the sky at this time of year, but it is having an extended holiday in the Bhamas this year and its cousin the crying cloud is standing in for it.

Rusty