so i've been not as healthy as i wanted for last 4 months or so.. still going on.. so i neglected the trees a bit. not a big deal as far as the trees in 10 gal and 3 gal are concerned. but the 1 gals..

most of them has lost the tags.. urgh.. i can tell which tree is which in 10 and 3 gals. but 1 gal.. they all look a like. with so much rain this yr, all the labels washed a way.

i'll be sorting things out when they leaf out in spring.

i know which ones are which as far as ones i promised since i kept them separate.

Pete sorry to hear that. It can be frustrating. I understand about
the health issues. Me too.

Hey Pete, sorry to hear about the health issues, hopefully this upcoming spring you can sort everything out, I hope you are on the mend, and you as well Mike

If there is anything anyone can do to help out let us know, I have a bunch of metal tags if you would like some.

I have mixed up plants so many times it's not funny. When I started trying to root figs I was headed for disaster until I purchased cuttings from someone who labeled each cutting with a paint marker. I got some paint markers and now label both the trunk and pot, even if it is just an abbreviation. That way I can put the tags back after my kids help me out with them ;)

Hope you feel better.

Health to all. Label mishaps drive me crazy, but we realize how small an issue when we are dealing with health or family issues.

I would suggest using the paint pens, they last much longer than sharpies, although the silver metalic sharpie has really impressed me. On a black pot they show well and don't seem to fade. I can read the history of my pot by reading the names crossed out.  I started marking the actual pot frustrated with detached tags/sticks which I still use but the marked pot is insurance.  You can get the Elmer's paint pens in Walmart's craft section.

I hope your health gets better Pete and that all is well!

Pete, I hope your health improves soon.

So far I have been using flimsy home-made tags made from soda cans and written on with a ball point pen hard enough to make an impression in the metal.  It's working so far but I want to make better quality tags and plan to try this:

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/tags-out-of-pop-cans-6522740?highlight=tags

Probably what Doug was talking about.

For 50 cents a tree this will never happen again.  Hope you get better soon.

Bosmere K494 Permanent 4-Inch Long Copper Tags with Copper Ties, 20-Pack

• $9.99
• Order in the next 3 hours and get it by Tuesday, Nov 26.
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• Product Features
• ... tag with ball point pen Use for labeling shrubs, trees and other plants ...

Get better.  Very frustrating.

Forget about the plants those can be obtained health cannot.
Get Well.

Sorry about your health woes, Pete, hope you are getting better.

I use tags on the plants themselves instead of stakes, though some plants have both.  They start out with just stakes when I start to root them and use pencil on those and keep the stakes with the plants after I tag them, just as a back-up.

Some people use white grease pens to mark pots and I've not done that myself but that might be worth considering since those markings last what seems like forever and they don't get washed away, ripped off, etc.

sharpie on masking tape worked last few yrs. this yr just rained too much. i'll look for more permanent solution in spring. i like those copper tags, might have to look into them.

Get well Pete! Go see a naturopath doctor and let her/him analyze your blood. Listen with an open mind and learn.

Plant tags are frustrating. I like the paint marker idea. But I still use the impress tags but I don't use the thin wire inside the box. I use 2 zip tags; one small one for the tag and one thick one for the tree. No matter how much I try to keep my tree labeled, every year I find one or 2 trees with tags missing. I started double labeling my trees using inch white plastic labels. I bury the label right up against the pot with only a tiny bit of white showing. If I don't bury the label, the sun will fad it away. This method saved me 3 times this year! Critters also bite and try to move my tags.

i sure hope you get well soon, sweety.

Pete-

Prayers sent for your rapid, and complete recovery.

I write, with a stylus, the varietal name on those copper tags, but use a thin, BRASS ball-chain to secure the tag to the tree, usually hanging from a lower, thicker, branch.  I don't use the thin wires that come with the tags.  The BRASS chain will not break, or corrode, and the tag stays with the tree, even if you repot, or, replant because the tag cannot come off the thicker branch.  The tag will hangs there like a little I.D. necklace.  The chains can be bought in Hardware stores, and are the same chains that hang from ceiling fans....just make sure the chains are brass, and not coated steel.  Bring a magnet, to identify brass from steel.

Good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving.



Frank

I doubt it's likely to happen in your setting, Pete, but an exotic fruit grower in Guyana had many copper tags stolen from his huge rare fruit tree collection, apparently for the value of scrap copper.  Sucks!

Wish you well Pete. I have always used used a Sharpie to write the name on the tree itself near the base. It lightens up over time but when the labels have come off, I always seem to find the backup written directly on the tree.

thanks leon, i'll have to think about that. trees you sent have their names still on the trunks :)

Hope everyone feels better soon.

I don't have a rhythm or set system yet for labeling--hopefully get a good system soon. The worst is for this pear I grafted who knows how many varieties on. I sketched out a diagram of the grafts for that one...

Peter,

Hope you feeling  better,..you shall overcome soon

Francisco

thanks all. i think it's time to get back into training. it's been 4 yrs since i worked out. having shoulder surgery stopped me from doing anything related to japanese sword art. i'm thinking wing chun... i occasionally go on hike and backpacking, but they are not regular enough for my body to stay in good condition. maybe it's nature's way of telling me i need to get off my fat behind :)

I'm using nylon zip ties with space for labels.  Harbor frieght has them.  I run the tie around the tree base and through a hole in a 6" plant tag.  Both are labeled with paint markers.  I have the impresso tags but haven't gotten around to using them.   I also label each pot with a number and have a database of pot #s and what's in them.  There are a few unknowns that predate this system but so far, so good  :)

http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-100-8-inch-identification-cable-ties-99940.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/pack-of-100-4-inch-identification-cable-ties-99939.html

rcantor,

Those look like good ties. How large is the writing area on them?