Dahlias bigger than expected.

B3

Some of my dahlias are a little too big for the pots.
Should I repot or keep them where they are and feed them a lot?

raisingirl

If the latter they'll probably flower more.
If the former they'll probably make healthier corms for next year.
Jam today or weather dependant, winter storage dependant jam tomorrow?

B3

I think I'll have jam today, please @raisingirl. Thank you.
If I change my mind, is it likely to do much damage in the short term?

raisingirl

I'm probably not the right person to ask that question. I usually kill them in Winter, whether left in the ground and mulched or dug up and carefully stored, they are usually dead by spring. So I'd definitely go for the jam today option, if it was me. Tomorrow may never come.

Having said all that, in principle, if you keep them watered and fed and allow them to die back and all that jazz - like you do for bulbs - the corms shouldn't be depleted, so they ought to bounce back next year. I suspect the problems I have are more to do with it being very wet here, rather than them being too hungry to hibernate

B3

Thanks @raisingirl.
As I had to cut off quite a few soft bits, I didn't really expect them to survive so I was a bit mean with the pot size so as not to waste the compost😒

Mrs_Miggins

I think dahlias can take small pots. I've had monsters growing out of modest pots.