Dahlias - seriously not to water?

[Harebellmeadow]

I have bought my first ever dahlia tuner and am reading up on how to plant - all the websites instruct not to water the pot until shoots appear.
How does this work? Do you moisten the soil before planting the Tuber , or do you place it into dry soil? Surely a plant needs some water else it will never sprout.

Advice appreciated on soil moisture. Thanks.

*dahlia Tuber. Obviously I won’t attempt to tune or soothe it in any way 😊

There is water in the tuber. Too damp soil could cause it to rot so best to be dry than too wet.
I've had tubers happily grow at least six inch shoots while in a bucket in the back of the shed.... Hadn't had a drop of water in months.

The advice not to water is true for the cold months. This time of year I would keep the soil slightly damp until they sprout. If they are very small tubers, they might rot if they are too wet. The bigger ones are more tolerant.