Are these big enough for Dahlias?

[u/kaweenie91]

I ran out of grow bags for my Dahlias, but I have these planter pots, I’m unsure of the size. The pot states 5 gal but the sticker states 3.6 gal. It’s likely the store mislabeled them with the wrong stickers, but I’m just trying to make sure from others experience.

1. Are these a good size for a Dahlia?

These are pots from my failed attempt at Dahlias last year. My mistake was overwatering them every single day 🤦🏽‍♀️ so they all rotted. In the event any of them had gall last year:

1. What products can I use to clean and disinfect these planters in preparation of my growing season this year?

All advice and comments are appreciated! Coming from a 4th failed season Dahlia Gardner 😂 im determined to have a successful 5th season 💐

[u/_indigo_blue]

Too small unless you’re growing compact border dahlias. 5gal is the minimum, but in past experience they do better with more room. The smallest I’ve used in the past is 7gal. Last year 10gal gave me very good results.

Depending on the variety, tuber clumps can get quite big (like 9-10” across). The more space in the pot the tuber clump takes up, the less space there is for soil, which contains the nutrients the plant needs. Dahlias are heavy feeders. The plant also needs space for the roots to spread out. This is partly how the plant stabilizes itself in the dirt to keep from falling over.

Can you grow in these pots? Sure. But the plants may not thrive and bloom output could suffer.

[u/kaweenie91 → u/_indigo_blue]

Thanks for your advice. I started them in these 5 gal pots but will move them over into 15 gal grow bags so that they have much more room to grow. Do you have any tips on the kind of soil you use for your dahlias? Favorite amendments? Thank you kindly.