How to keep garden barrels rust-free? How to apply if they are already rusted and leaky?

Greetings to all summer residents - visitors to our channel!

A reader yesterday in the comments asked a question about a rusting barrel in the country, and I thought that this topic could be of interest to many others. I decided not to answer just one, but write an article for everyone at once.

It is good for those who have plastic barrels, they do not rust. But there is a big problem with them - the plastic barrels are quite light and we already had such a thing that we came to the dacha for the weekend, but there is no barrel there. "Drank" to see local drunks. And it was necessary to water, the season was. We did not have time to throw out the old barrel then, I wanted to adapt it to garden utensils. But it didn’t work, I adapted it for water. And this is definitely not stolen just because no one wants to buy it.

***Before I continue, let me remind you of other helpful articles that you may have missed earlier:

Seedlings of tomatoes and peppers grow strong with my feeding

Don't throw away plastic bottle caps anymore! I tell you how to use it with benefit

How to grow a big crop in the country AGAIN(mushrooms)

My cherry dressing to gain strength for a large harvest

The onion fly does not take them and does not rot - varieties of onions

Flowers in a vase always stay fresh for a long time, 2-3 weeks. I share my secrets

***

It turned out great in the end! At the bottom there was already a gap, all rusty and leaky. If I immediately laid the cellophane, it could break from contact with the sharp edges of the metal where the holes have already formed. So I put the solution on the bottom of the old barrel.

The neighbors were building a barn at that time and it was possible to ask for cement. Having completely covered the bottom with cement and letting it dry thoroughly, I put a large plastic garbage bag on the barrel. They are very durable and you may not believe it, but this was enough for us for almost 2 months until the end of summer. Then there was no need to water. If only in a greenhouse.

But if you have not yet leaked, but you bought a metal barrel, then it is better to protect it from rust right away, so it will last longer. And here are the ways of protection.

Painting. I do not know what paints can be bought for metal so that they serve as long as possible. Our neighbors painted it with enamel paint PF115, which by the spring was already all cracked. It took them a lot of effort to scrape, clean, degrease and paint again. Maybe it's the cheap paint and the fact that in winter it had to be removed, where to go from the frost? I personally paint every year - not comme il faut.

A better way would be to cement it completely. After thoroughly drying (after more than a week) the first layer of cement, you need to add liquid glass to the second layer. Then you can also paint the surface with the appropriate paint. But here pay attention to the harmlessness of the composition for plants and again resistance to various effects of water, temperature and sun.

For example, bitumen is the best protection for barrels. But they say that it emits harmfulness and it seems to me that such barrels should not be used for watering vegetables, which we ourselves then eat. Although... If you just protect the barrel and always put bags on top, then why not. One package will still be enough for a long time, I even think that for the whole season. Unless, of course, you carefully scoop up this water and do not cling to buckets.

If any of the readers have their own other ways to protect barrels from rust - tell us in the comments, please.
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