advice on dahlias in pots, zone 9

any advice on standard dahlias in pots, zone 9? I have some large tubers and some large pots. Advice on potting medium or anything else to make them nice and prolific. My dahlias in pots seem to go to seed quicker and be kind of stunted. I've tried little pompoms, coccinia, and "regular" ( I can't remember the name). all do really well in the ground and not so well in containers.

Here is the best article I've ever seen online for growing in pots. They dry out fast in full sun, so use the soil moistener or prepare to water 2x daily in hot weather or if the pots are black. Or do both. If they're 3 ft or shorter, you needn't worry about wiring in the stake- the only part of her article that I didn't care to do, but did anyway.
**edited out the link until I get permission to post it. Read below to find the page the article is located.

We should add this to the 'sticky' as it seems to be an increasingly popular way to grow dahlias. I'll ask Admin right now.

This message was edited Mar 20, 2009 10:40 PM

wow thanks

That's a darn good article. Thanks Poochella.

Yes, it's a great article but Admin asked me to get permission, (at least before they put it in the sticky,) from the ADS website and there it is posted for all to see right here! I know I've posted it before too. I'm gonna rot in copyright jail! I'm not going without a struggle... I did email the ADS chairman, but have yet to hear back.

I'll just edit out the link in the post, but if anyone wants to find the article about growing in pots, go to the link and find it.
http://www.dahlia.org/index.php?page=dahlia-articles

I dont get it. you can't post a hyperlink anymore?

I don't get it either! I constantly post links, it's not like I'm stealing the article and using it for my own purposes, just giving the reader a chance to read it. But that is what I was asked to do, DG minding P's and Q's perhaps,which is quite responsible really. Still haven't heard back from the ADS and no direct link available to the author, so find the info from the link above or Google "growing dahlias in pots." Both those methods work.

seems the same to me oh well

This is just a guess, but the article says "Do not use for any commercial use without the permission of the author." Dave's Garden is a paid subscription website, so perhaps that qualifies as commercial.

Joanne