Author Topic: How do you keep varieties straight ?  (Read 5696 times)

Tom

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How do you keep varieties straight ?
« on: May 06, 2014, 11:35:44 PM »
Almost everything I've tried gets bleached out by the sun. The only thing that's ok so far are the small aluminum or copper tags that you engrave name and important information. Any better ideas ? Thanks. Tom

fyliu

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2014, 01:52:54 PM »
I use green plant tape with a silver marker. The metal doesn't fade like pigments do. Metallic paint marker or graphite pencil would also work.

Metal tags is probably best but I'm too lazy to carve them for every graft and cutting that I try rooting.

brian

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2014, 06:17:50 PM »
Maybe cut strips of metal from a soda/beer can and write on it with a ballpoint pen?  I would think it would leave enough imprint to last forever.

HIfarm

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2014, 11:58:12 PM »
If you've got a lot to label, I would recommend a Dymo Rhino 1011.  It is like the old Dymo label makers but will print on stainless steel or aluminum.  I got mine recently and have done several dozen labels.  To date, I am very happy with it.  I have only used it with SS labels so far but I would expect it works at least as well with aluminum.

I got mine at B&H photo -- the price (with shipping) was similar to Amazon but the extras metal tapes were cheaper through B&H so I bought there:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/836262-REG/Dymo_101105_Rhino_1011_Metal_Tape.html/?m=Y&gclid=CPy9kLm2m74CFZJbfgodDCcAWQ

John

Tom

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2014, 03:30:44 PM »
All great ideas. John your idea sounds excellent. Thanks ! Tom

Millet

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2014, 10:07:33 PM »
Buying  used venetian blinds at yard sales then cutting them to length provides hundreds of labels, especially for container trees.  Normally they can be purchased for $1.00. - Millet

Tom

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2014, 10:14:21 PM »
Thanks. I've heard of that trick and I'm sure it's ok depending on what is used to write with. The sunshine is tough when writing with permanent black magic markers. It fades in a year or so. Tom

Millet

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #7 on: May 12, 2014, 11:03:25 PM »
There is a special Nursery Marking Pen, called the Garden Marker. The pen is sunfast, waterprof and permanent. It writes on plastic, wood or metal.  I purchase them from HPS catalog. - Millet

Tom

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2014, 10:08:40 AM »
Sounds great. Thanks. Tom

Mike T

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #9 on: May 19, 2014, 11:30:55 PM »
I thought for a second this thread was about trees batting for the other team.
There is a variety of metal tags including aluminium and copper where the names are scratched on.There are permanent marker pens designed to be more persistent and last for years. I have found a couple of brands that work this way and know the ones that don't.

Tom

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #10 on: May 19, 2014, 11:58:44 PM »
Trees batting for the other team ? Ha ! Which markers have you found to be good ? Millet mentioned the garden marker but he gets it from a wholesaler. Names please. Thanks. Tom

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #11 on: May 20, 2014, 12:37:34 AM »
Trees batting for the other team ? Ha ! Which markers have you found to be good ? Millet mentioned the garden marker but he gets it from a wholesaler. Names please. Thanks. Tom

If you're talking about marking potted plants, don't use Sharpie markers, they fade very fast. I use common #2 pencil and that will last at least a year on white plastic plant labels. Recently i made the "brilliant discovery" that after marking with pencil if i push the label into the soil, so just top is showing and writing doesn't get exposed to the sun, then will last several years. Another easy method is to mark your pot on outside, no label needed, with a wax marker, like the ones called China Marker. You can get them at art supply stores. Lasts a very long time. Aluminum labels don't work well here as they soon get covered with mold, algae, and other growing things that will cover up the writing.
Oscar

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #12 on: May 20, 2014, 09:21:59 AM »
Same problem here with aluminium tags but not the copper ones. I don't use pencil any more just the better permanent markers. The brands relate to generic Masters and Bunnings brands tags which won't mean much in the US and the markers are generic also.
The way to test marker pens is to try and scrub it off the plastic tags after 10 minutes. Even turpentine, hot soapy water and a scourer can't the more persistent marker writing off properly.

swimmingfree

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #13 on: May 20, 2014, 10:06:03 AM »
i use stainless steel and a set of stamp i got from Harbor Freight Tools (1/4 size) and copper wire i was looking at dog tags as well thay make them out of stainless steel..
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BarbJ

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #14 on: May 21, 2014, 11:54:41 AM »
Quote
Another easy method is to mark your pot on outside, no label needed, with a wax marker, like the ones called China Marker.

Well that was a blast from the past!
We used to use these years ago in the nursery business before we had those nifty little machines that print out waterproof pot labels. We called them Grease Pencils, and they do indeed last forever. 

Or you can get one of the nifty machines, but they're a bit pricey. 

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/462917/Epson-TM-T88V-Direct-Thermal-Printer/;jsessionid=00004-mKV3o1ErE016dwq-7wqMk:17h4h7aom

fruitlovers

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #15 on: May 21, 2014, 06:55:49 PM »
Quote
Another easy method is to mark your pot on outside, no label needed, with a wax marker, like the ones called China Marker.

Well that was a blast from the past!
We used to use these years ago in the nursery business before we had those nifty little machines that print out waterproof pot labels. We called them Grease Pencils, and they do indeed last forever. 

Or you can get one of the nifty machines, but they're a bit pricey. 

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/462917/Epson-TM-T88V-Direct-Thermal-Printer/;jsessionid=00004-mKV3o1ErE016dwq-7wqMk:17h4h7aom

If you already have a laser printer, there are labels you can print on 8.5x11 sheet right on the printer you already have. I've tried them but they didn't hold up very well in the sun. Also for small backyard growers not much sense in printing a whole sheet of labels if you only have 1 or 2 plants. China marker costs about $2. And you even save on not having to use labels!  :D  Also you don't have to worry about ever losing the label, which so often happens.
Oscar

HIfarm

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Re: How do you keep varieties straight ?
« Reply #16 on: May 25, 2014, 04:56:29 PM »

If you're talking about marking potted plants, don't use Sharpie markers, they fade very fast. I use common #2 pencil and that will last at least a year on white plastic plant labels. Recently i made the "brilliant discovery" that after marking with pencil if i push the label into the soil, so just top is showing and writing doesn't get exposed to the sun, then will last several years. Another easy method is to mark your pot on outside, no label needed, with a wax marker, like the ones called China Marker. You can get them at art supply stores. Lasts a very long time. Aluminum labels don't work well here as they soon get covered with mold, algae, and other growing things that will cover up the writing.

It seems like plastic tags commonly available now have a harder surface that does not "take" writing as well, regardless of what you use.  It pays to check both sides of the tag as one side sometimes will take the writing better.  The wax pencil seems to be by far the most persistent but they always seems to be fairly broad tipped which makes it hard to record much info on a reasonable size tag (writing on the pot is a good idea if not using black nursery pots).  Pushing the tag down into the media greatly helps preserve the writing.  The problem I find is that my plants tend to sit too long in the pots and, with repeated weeding, labels seem to somehow "disappear" (no doubt coming out with the weeds & not noticed).  If you make the plastic label into a tag that you wire on, it becomes brittle & is gone far too soon.

I am skeptical about metal tags you write on -- I am sure that they would get covered up as Oscar reports.  Swimmingfree's solution sounds good but also sounds time consuming.  the Dymo label maker has been working well for me so far but requires a bit of a cash outlay. It embosses the letters well into the metal so, even if covered by mold, algae, etc., it should wipe off easily (& perhaps be even easier to read as a result).  I have attached a couple of pics of a tag I did for some ulu I was trying to propagate.  Resolution is not great as my camera died & I had to use my phone but I have attached a pics from each side to try to give detail of the letters.

John