Q: SHOULD I CUT BACK MY DAHLIA?
A: Short answer, NO!
Like all bulbs and tubers , Dahlias get their energy for the new season in the year prior to flowering.
Think of the the tuber ( or bulb if you’re growing daffodils and Lily’s and such ) as a battery that powers the flowers. The leaves and stem act like the charging cord for the battery, if you cut them down then you are taking away it’s ability to store that energy and the next season’s plants will be stunted, unhealthy with less blooms and more prone to infection. Allow them to die off naturally, but if it’s really stressing you , you can remove up to but no more than 50 percent of the foliage. I use hedge clippers and lop them in half and remove the dropped stems to the bin ( theyre mildew traps!)