I grew 100 dahlias this year about 25 were in big pots.

100% in ground here this year. Last year I had about a dozen in large pots and they grew well. It's just easier for me to grow them in the ground. The potted ones still did great in terms of flowers and tubers produced.

Open centers just aren't as pretty as petals. Hard green centers are even worse. Plantlady and others can tell you in the dahlia show world that an open center is usually an unwelcome guest. Except on some forms.
Here's Long Island Lil, a great little flower but immediately the green center or open center detracts from the flower, to me. And those faded, tattered lower petals seen in late season photos aren't so hot either;)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you don't mind open centers, I wouldn't worry about them.
{{gwi:630856}}>

Open centers in Singles (8 petals), Orchid flowering, Mignon Single, Peony, Novelty Open & Collarette forms are fine. When a dahlias has a couple of rows of petals-- when it's supposed to be fully double-- & an open center it's not good dahlia form & if allowed to breed weakens the gene pool. If you have a dahlia that was fully double when you got it but then goes to open centered in a year or so, it's form is breaking down. It's just as easy to grow a good dahlia as a poor one so why not grow good ones?

Thanks for the info.

Plantlady now I have a question: if I have a couple plants that produced a few nice fully double blooms early on, and then seemed to turn out nothing but singles or open centers, should I toss the tubers? The open centers or flimsy petals don't do me any good as cutters. I think Teresa B said if they start doing that, it's time to replace them. Do you agree, or could it be our cooler than normal summer?

These are still in the ground, cut off, and at this point, I'd be happier than a gardener in mud to leave them there to rot if you concur with Teresa.

Usually it's really hot weather that makes them go to center too soon but sometimes it means the cultivar has broken down & is beyond hope. We did have a really weird summer & had a few dahlias that had open centers that had never had them before. We also had a few with hard green centers that had never had them before-- like Zorro! What's with that?? This is usually caused by really hot weather when the buds are forming & cold nights--- dahlias don't care for extremes in temps. esp. all on the same day! By Sept. the green-centered ones had straightened up & redeemed themselves- I think some of it has to do with Farmer Walt out there threatening them with the compost pile :)
The open centered ones got tossed-- they didn't take Farmer Walt seriously & never did get any better. So - out they go-- room for more new ones!
If the ones you had that went to center didn't shape up in Sept. when the weather was not too hot you can take your revenge & leave them un-dug!

Thanks, Cory. Leave them I will. The questionables are still out there swilling in our 6 inches of rain they can just stay there for the next 50 inches. Plenty more dahlias to choose from for their spots in 09.

Farmer Walt walks softly but carries a big pitchfork! Good thing Zorro perked up for you.