Plant Tags that Last for Years

[WaianaeCrider]

If you have some old Venetian Blinds don't throw them away.  They make great plant tags depending on what they are made.  I think these are some kind of plastic.

I write in pencil on one side the name and date planted.  On the other side I use a PAINT PEN to put down the same info but it's easier to read than pencil at a glance.  I have some of these marked with the PAINT pens that look as good as new after 11 years.  I get mine at a hobby shop, but I'm sure amazon has the as well.

[jimmyt]

I have the metal painted version of these(cream or white).  I just use #2 pencil to write on them.. Tin snips to cut points if desired and a metal hole punch if I need to wire them to the plant.  The graphite does not fade or wash off.  These last decades! Good idea!

[Steve Mac]

Good idea Steve and Jimmy, I did find that pencil lasts much better than 'Permanent markers', but I didn't know about the paint pen.

[John hovancsek]

They kinda remind me of the ones that I use but you use a regular pen to write and it leaves the name engraved in the tag

[jimmyt]

@John hovancsek   I have some of those permanent aluminum engraveable ones too.  I save those for the prize longterm plants.  The window blind/pencil version can be reused, the aluminum ones only once! Recycle and repupose!

[Reyes Vargas]

3 hours ago, John hovancsek said:

They kinda remind me of the ones that I use but you use a regular pen to write and it leaves the name engraved in the tag

Where do you buy those?  I have some cacti in pots that I don't want to forget the names of.

[Reyes Vargas]

12 minutes ago, jimmyt said:

@John hovancsek   I have some of those permanent aluminum engraveable ones too.  I save those for the prize longterm plants.  The window blind/pencil version can be reused, the aluminum ones only once! Recycle and repupose!

Where do you get your aluminum tags Jimmy?

[John hovancsek]

3 hours ago, Reyes Vargas said:

Where do you buy those?  I have some cacti in pots that I don't want to forget the names of.

I got them from a nursery here on the big island here is the label you can probably find on Amazon 

[Silas_Sancona]

3 hours ago, Reyes Vargas said:

Where do you get your aluminum tags Jimmy?

 

3 minutes ago, John hovancsek said:

I got them from a nursery here on the big island here is the label you can probably find on Amazon 

Amazon, Ebay... Some nurseries still sell them as well. Impress-O used to sell them in boxes, up to 100 count( think they've stopped manufacturing them ).  Use them for my Plumeria, other special things. Great product.

[jimmyt]

@Reyes Vargas  I did not intend to ignore you but I got busy shining my aluminum plant tags!   The others are correct.   Amazon, Ebay, online nursery retailers.  A few specialty nurseries may carry them in store.  I have never seen them in a store around BF Texas where I hang out though!  

[msporty]

I’ve been using aluminum tags that are indented using a ball point pen and secured with zip ties. Unfortunately the plastic  zip ties degrade over time...
 

I’ve noticed a few gardens (e.g. Huntington and Quail) use embossed tags on a metal stake. Anyone know what metal and gauge are used in the stakes in this application?

 

This would be my desired labeling method.

[Palmarum]

On 5/1/2021 at 6:29 PM, WaianaeCrider said:

If you have some old Venetian Blinds don't throw them away.  They make great plant tags depending on what they are made. ....

They make excellent plant tags. You can write on them with a pencil, china marker or various paint markers. Old blinds are on my misc. grab list when I check out yard sales and flea markets. They can be broke, bent, whatever and they still work and are usually super cheap. I typically find them in the back of the flea market 'booth' and not priced as the vendor thinks they are one step from garbage and not a prime item to drag to the front...

"I'll give you a dollar for all those old blinds back there."

"Sold! Take 'em all."

-

Ryan

[iDesign]

On 5/3/2021 at 9:58 AM, msporty said:

I’ve been using aluminum tags that are indented using a ball point pen and secured with zip ties. Unfortunately the plastic  zip ties degrade over time...
 

I’ve noticed a few gardens (e.g. Huntington and Quail) use embossed tags on a metal stake. Anyone know what metal and gauge are used in the stakes in this application?

 

This would be my desired labeling method.

Wish there was an affordable home version of these. I like the metal look, but my handwriting isn’t good (so machine printed would be ideal), I saw these labels at San Diego Botanical Gardens and wondered the same thing.

[mike in kurtistown]

I tried a couple of the Down to Earth Basics tags, probably purchased from the same store where John H got them. Problem was the thin wire that is used to attach them. It corroded into nothing in the humid climate in a few months. Other materials might work better.

I am experimenting with an idea I got from local palm hobbyist Rick Kelley, I print out a sign on white paper using Microsoft Word. Then I put it into an inverted sandwich bag and attach it to a coated wire stake or a thin bamboo stake. I stick it into a block near the palm, so that I don't amputate it with my weed whacker. Here it is:

There are obvious problems. I am trying various tapes and glues to attach the bag to the stake. Some don't work for very long. The plastic sandwich bag may weather in the tropical sun, the ink may fade (though there's no sign of that yet). Bamboo stakes are very perishable in a wet environment.

Advantages are that they are quite readable, quick and simple to put together, and cheap. If the ink fades, a new print can be made and inserted. (Save the data set.) this idea might be very useful for a temporary signage during, say, a garden tour.

 

[Cindy Adair]

Great ideas, thanks.

I have not found a perfect inexpensive solution that is attractive too. The 1 inch gray pvc pipe cut in about three foot sections and pounded into the ground to easy reading level that I used at my old farm worked pretty well.
 

I drilled a hole through the pipe near the top and inserted a wire with an aluminum label.  A bad batch of wire that rusted was a big issue though and the small labels were a challenge to read without constant cleaning.

I have considered lovely big plastic labels which I could mount onto the plastic pipes or add the cost of metal supports but the cost for so many has made me hesitate.
 

I find pencil on plastic or aluminum to last less than two years in my humid jungle. Great until the wording disappears....

[KrisKupsch]

Markers eventually fade. A 4B pencil on a plant tag lasts a decade or more 

[WaianaeCrider]

21 minutes ago, KrisKupsch said:

Markers eventually fade. A 4B pencil on a plant tag lasts a decade or more 

Agree.  Ink markers are no good.  I use PAINT markers that I buy at a hobby shop.  They have lasted 12 years so far.  I put pencil on one side of the tag and paint on the other.  The paint is easier to read but will not last as long as pencil.

[Merlyn]

I have tried a few different things, most became illegible or disintegrated in the sunlight.  I tried Brother P-Touch labels stuck onto sliced up parts of dollar store "cutting boards" and the labels were fine...but the cutting boards broke down in about a year and fell apart.  I tried putting a bit of masking tape on the same dollar store cutting board slices, writing on them with ballpoint ink, and putting clear packing tape over it.  This worked okay, but if the packing tape leaked then it condensed and molded inside, making it illegible again.  Since the Brother P-Touch labels worked well and seemed to be very durable outdoors, I bought a 500 pack of "plant labels" off of Amazon.  Theoretically these are made from UV-stable plastic, so they won't disintegrate in a year or two.  I like the idea of using old blinds, if they are cleaned then I bet the P-Touch labels would stick to them.

I'm currently using the "MarkDomain" brand P-Touch labels, which seem to work as well as the authentic Brother labels.  I'll find out in a while if they are actually as durable or not, but they have a 4.5 star review with something like 16,000 reviewers.  And they are 1/4 the price of the authentic Brother labels...

[iDesign]

47 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

I have tried a few different things, most became illegible or disintegrated in the sunlight.  I tried Brother P-Touch labels stuck onto sliced up parts of dollar store "cutting boards" and the labels were fine...but the cutting boards broke down in about a year and fell apart.  I tried putting a bit of masking tape on the same dollar store cutting board slices, writing on them with ballpoint ink, and putting clear packing tape over it.  This worked okay, but if the packing tape leaked then it condensed and molded inside, making it illegible again.  Since the Brother P-Touch labels worked well and seemed to be very durable outdoors, I bought a 500 pack of "plant labels" off of Amazon.  Theoretically these are made from UV-stable plastic, so they won't disintegrate in a year or two.  I like the idea of using old blinds, if they are cleaned then I bet the P-Touch labels would stick to them.

I'm currently using the "MarkDomain" brand P-Touch labels, which seem to work as well as the authentic Brother labels.  I'll find out in a while if they are actually as durable or not, but they have a 4.5 star review with something like 16,000 reviewers.  And they are 1/4 the price of the authentic Brother labels...

Can you send a link to the "MarkDomain" labels you like? And do you think they might work with the following product?
https://amzn.to/3x4A4aQ

If these two products are compatible, that combination might work great... (since it would give me labels that would last at least a few years, and not require me to expose my horrible handwriting).

[Merlyn]

17 minutes ago, idesign123 said:

Can you send a link to the "MarkDomain" labels you like? And do you think they might work with the following product?
https://amzn.to/3x4A4aQ

Here are the MarkDomain labels.  They are only 0.5" tall, so they would not fill the whole size of your stakes.  But it would probably stick to them.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F7YXXKK?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

[The Germinator]

I  got tired of my permanent marker not being permanent. So I started making tags out of beer cans using tin snips and a ball point pen.  Using this proprietary method I can make them any I size I want. Let me know I can drink some more beer to make some for you.

[Kim]

Some great ideas here. I used to think I didn't need labels, that I knew all my palms, but a few years older and a couple hundred palms later...   I like the idea of something unobtrusive that will last. For my simple garden the repurposed blinds would be perfect. The wire would be the difficulty in a wet environment, more study needed. Maybe the insulated kinds of wire? Kicking myself for donating some old blinds over a year ago. 

[Rick Kelley]

2 hours ago, Kim said:

Some great ideas here. I used to think I didn't need labels, that I knew all my palms, but a few years older and a couple hundred palms later...   I like the idea of something unobtrusive that will last. For my simple garden the repurposed blinds would be perfect. The wire would be the difficulty in a wet environment, more study needed. Maybe the insulated kinds of wire? Kicking myself for donating some old blinds over a year ago. 

Old vinyl miniblinds are almost always available for about $2 at the Keaau transfer station. If they are out, try Goodwill, Salvation Army, or any second hand store. One set of blinds makes hundreds of very durable labels. 

[Merlyn]

10 hours ago, Kim said:

Some great ideas here. I used to think I didn't need labels, that I knew all my palms, but a few years older and a couple hundred palms later...   I like the idea of something unobtrusive that will last. For my simple garden the repurposed blinds would be perfect. The wire would be the difficulty in a wet environment, more study needed. Maybe the insulated kinds of wire? Kicking myself for donating some old blinds over a year ago. 

I have a spreadsheet with all my palms, cycads, and agaves on them with location and plant date.  Keeping track of those is easy.  The problem I have is with the ~150 in pots.

For wire, you could use an insulated copper wire.  I picked up a spool of old teflon-insulated 20ga wire from an electronics surplus store, I think it was $5 for a 50 yard spool.  The cheap generic zipcord isn't UV-stable and would disintegrate in a few years outside.  Better grades will last for decades.

[Butch]

I was going to suggest the insulated  copper electrical wire my self... I use it to tie up plants that have a tendency to topple... I use #12 solid building wire, which is very strong and last for years... And It comes in all colors... I was wondering if you used the aluminum mini blinds, would they be soft enough to emboss by writing on them?... Probably an alloy or treated to make them less likely to bend... Some great ideas on this post...

Butch

[Kim]

9 hours ago, Rick Kelley said:

Old vinyl miniblinds are almost always available for about $2 at the Keaau transfer station. If they are out, try Goodwill, Salvation Army, or any second hand store. One set of blinds makes hundreds of very durable labels. 

Exactly what I was thinking! Maybe my old blinds are still there! 

And yes, @Merlyn, insulated copper wire is what I was thinking, good to know it can be had at a reasonable price if one searches a bit.

[WaianaeCrider]

4 hours ago, Merlyn said:

I have a spreadsheet with all my palms, cycads, and agaves on them with location and plant date.  Keeping track of those is easy.  The problem I have is with the ~150 in pots.

For wire, you could use an insulated copper wire.  I picked up a spool of old teflon-insulated 20ga wire from an electronics surplus store, I think it was $5 for a 50 yard spool.  The cheap generic zipcord isn't UV-stable and would disintegrate in a few years outside.  Better grades will last for decades.

HD sells "cable ties" in bags of 1000 and smaller.  Some say on the bag if they UV resistant.  I think you need to buy the black ones.  White are for indoors.

[The Germinator]

I get cheap wire at 99 store covered in green coating.