Fading plant labels
raybeddow
Posts: 1
In last weeks episode of GW (30.06.17) Monty was complaining that he could no longer read his plant labels as the writing had faded. he asked if anyone had any ideas for longer lasting labels.
I grow over 30 varieties of Satsuki azaleas so plant labelling is very important to me especially when taking cuttings.
I have two methods of labelling that are permanent, the first is using the hand held tape printer made by Brother. The self adhesive backing sticks to ordinary plant labels and they do not come off or fade.
The second, cheaper method I sometime use is to cut strips from aluminium drinks cans and impress the writing into them. This is easily done by placing the strip on a newspaper and then using an old ball point pen press on hard when writing. Aluminium cans are easy to cut using old scissors and a hole punch can be used to tie them to the plants.
Both methods I have used for over 10 years and both are still as clear as the day they were produced.
Posts
I'd like to try the drink can method as it's re-using waste and keeping it out of landfill. What do you cut it with? Don't want to ruin good scissors.
Sorry just read it again, you said old scissors.
I put clear nail polish over writing on labels. Fairly cast iron way of doing it - the only way I have tried that works, but impressing metal looks like a good solution too.
I use copper labels for my ferns and specimen shrubs/trees, impressing them with a pen in the same manner - but I like the idea of the aluminium cans - much cheaper than the copper anyway!
This year, I was given a Brother labeller as a gift from my uncle. It is very effective - I too stick the labels onto ordinary plant labels and so far, they seem very tolerant of all that the weather can throw at them - however the tapes are very expensive. Alright to use on your 'particular' plants, but no good to waste on odds and ends.
I have found that where I write on an ordinary plastic label, pencil actually lasts much longer than so called 'permanent' markers. I have labels written in pencil from over five years ago, and the writing is still mostly visible.
The only markers with some sort of permanance to them seem to be Bic - I found that Stabilo washed off after only a few months, wheras Bic lasted nearly a year.
I've always just used the marker pens from the garden centre - no idea of maker and they have been fine. This year as I was growing so many new plants I invested in some coloured Sh*rpies. The writing on the labels lasted about 5 weeks!! I wrote to Sh*rpie complaining and what did they do - send me 2 dozen of the same pens!!! It was very nice of them to do that but now I have two and a half dozen of coloured marker pens that don't mark!! Any idea what I can do with them???? Seems very wasteful just to throw them in the bin.