Recommendations for a 100L pot

Im looking to buy one of the barrel planters, does anyone have any tips for what i should look for as i am seeing a wide variety online, some seem to be plastic some seem to be wood, some have holes and bolts but some dont etc etc.

Alternatively does anyone have a recommendation of where i can buy a good sized planter eg around 100Litres online

 

An ordinary plastic dustbin would do if you aren't too bothered about the appearance.
The one I use as a daily compost bin is around that capacity, if I remember rightly. B&Q, and wasn't expensive - about £20 or so.

 

B&M garden centres were selling half whisky barrels for £25 last year, I don't know if they still have them. They are about 115litres iirc. Look good and should last twenty years or maybe more.

 

In terms of barrel planters, a lot of it is subjective and personal choice. I’m avoiding buying new plastic where I can (I’m not militant about it) so would go for wood or possibly one made from recycled materials. The bolts and bands etc are purely decorative and I wouldn’t have thought make any difference to lifespan. You do need drainage holes (several small or one larger) so if buying one without you need to have the tools to make these.

I’m not convinced plastic will have a longer lifespan than wood in terms of functional use, most plastic gets brittle and starts to shatter after time in sunlight.

The other thing to consider is if the plant will be in the container permanently. If you will want to move it on or take it out to prune the roots then don’t buy a pot which tapers in at the top. They are a nightmare to empty as the football will be larger than the opening.


We’ve used an old metal dustbin as a planter. We found it in the undergrowth when we moved in. A standard drill was enough to make holes in the base. But again it’s personal choice whether you like the look. Ours is old enough to have a fancy city crest and the city initials are mine so it amuses me.

 

The thing about whisky barrels is (a) they are wider at the top than the bottom so they allow water to evaporate quite quickly and (b) the wood lets the soil inside dry out more quickly than plastic or metal so you have to water more often.

Don’t be tempted to buy those expensive, fancy resin things. I bought two in a moment of madness, thinking that they would look pretty. After about five years they began to disintegrate and crumble and I ended up smashing them up into bits that were held together by what looked like glass fibre strands.

 

I didnt think about this but i think i i'll look for something that looks a bit prettier but will bear this in mind

I might pop into B&M to see if they have any as its on their website

I have a fancy resin thing and it is beginning to peel inside but i am concerned about rapid water evaporation from whiskey barrels

 

Have a look at this lot. We last bought from them 2020, but that was our second purchase. All 5 items are still looking good/better than I expected.

 

It’s many years since I had a barrel planter but I don’t remember it been more thirsty than any others. I’m not disputing that it loses water faster than plastic, so does terracotta, but I’m not convinced it’s significant.

If you were concerned about this, you could line the sides with old compost/plastic bags below the soil line.

 

I prefer terracotta for the traditional look but one that size will be very expensive. There are some quite acceptable plastic containers made to look like stone or slate, with a textured finish. Avoid those resin types called faux lead though, they do disintegrate as @Tidemark describes. Water loss from the top of a container will depend on what you plant in it and its location. You can top the surface with gravel, stone chips, slate chips or pebbles to reduce the loss.

 

All my citrus trees are planted in half-barrels, formerly used to 'oak' local Bordeaux red. 225l /so 112.5l each. They're wonderful, roomy containers with 6 x 1" drainage holes drilled into the base. I did line them with strong plastic sheet and used a long gas lighter thingy to melt corresponding drainage holes. Seems to work well...they're 10 years old + and still going strong apart from the bases where OH screwed wheels to them. When they started giving way I had some flat-section steel crosses made, with wheels screwed to them, which the barrels sit on top of. Essential for moving them around and putting under cover in the winter...they'd be far too heavy to shift otherwise. The first photo is the ready-made version bought here. Fiendishly expensive and soon outgrown by their occupants. These weren't lined, although varnished, and rotted in no time.

 

Or even better, just above the soil line Otherwise, the water dribbles down between wood and liner and it rots even more quickly...

 

Good point @noisette47 , I didn’t think of that

 

The metal bands are what holds the wood in place in a barrel. If they weren't there, and the timber dried out, they'd fall apart...and do. Same with wooden buckets.

It also depends on how you intend using your planter @hi2u_uk and where you're siting it . If it isn't going to be 'on view' permanently, or can be hidden with other pots etc, there's no need for it to be fancy.

 

having wheels is a very good idea !

 

I have seen one of those large half barrel planters in homebargains.
Do they last outdoors long term ?

When i look on the label it says its made by kiln fired pottery code - WHSBA01-64