Coating inside of cedar pots?

[Forrest]

I just bought a couple of semi-dwarf Mexican lime trees in 5 gal. containers. I also bought a couple of cedar planters for them. The planters look like it wouldn't take more than a couple of years before they would turn into compost from frequent watering. I was wondering if I could coat the insides with something like Thompson's water repellant to make them last longer ...... or would it poison the plants? Any comments or tips would be appreciated. Thanks

[Phisherman]

There are roof tar products you could use. But I'd line the planter with galvanized metal.

[Graybyrd]

The cedar should be quite rot resistant, but you are right .. a lining would greatly extend its life.

Avoid the water seal .. it's not even a good long-term deck treatment. It's usually just a thin penetrating solvent with a low percentage of dissolved wax or silicone, and will quickly dissipate.

A better and very easy solution is to use some old plastic tarp sheeting (the cheap blue or green stuff). Fold it into place as a liner and staple it inside the rim to hold it. Trim the excess with scissors. Be sure to cut a small hole in the liner bottom, over the planter drainage hole, so it will drain easily. That should serve for a good long time, and is very easily replaced should you later decide to empty and repot the planter.

Galvanized sheet metal will probably rust out even faster than the cedar would rot, and it is a pure pain to cut and fit, with likely injury now or later from sharp edges.

There is good reason why, after growing up with an endless stream of bashed and rusted out galvanized sheet metal pots, pails, watering cans and tubs, that all of us old-timers cheered long and loudly when the first good Rubbermaid plastic containers came on the market!!!

Graybyrd