Made these tree labels tonight. Hoping they will withstand the test of time. 



Here is the link to all the supplies. I think I pulled it from a post in this forum but saw any ones photos of them. 

http://gardentherapy.ca/metal-stamped-plant-tags/

A neat idea for using 'washers' to stamp the names.
Hope that the washers are of a good quality and/or protected metal though (no rust).
Punching letters is a rather tedious job; but is ok for small quantities.

High quality 'numbered' tree-tags already exist, but one must be sure to have a
'number/name' reference list saved/available somewhere. This is my way to go.
I am also thinking of color code spraying these tags for easier hunting (say in 25 multiples).

The above mostly applies and is essential to potted/movable trees.
(Yes; I do have a few 'orphaned' figs due them tags fading/etc.)

For in ground trees, tags may also be desired/required, but
nothings beats a 'map' on a piece of paper showing 'what is where'.
[Trees do not have legs and are not able to flip locations.]

Frank,
A nice idea! What size did you use, letters and washers?

Here is another option...

Be careful hanging rigid objects on trees.  In 2006 I hung CDs on the trees to scare the birds away (I was probably the only person to see all those AOL CDs in the mail).  When the wind would blow them around, they cut into the bark.  A tallow tree I hung one from still bears the marks.

George, got a good source for high quality numbered tree tags?

I used a a Tekton 5/32 inch stamping set from amazon and the Home Depot “AJC” washers.  They are zinc plated. All my trees are potted until I acquire some property in WV, so I need a good labeling solution. It did not take long to make these maybe 30-40 minutes (saving me from the Oscars). 

Gorgi what is the High quality 'numbered' tree-tags website? 

Nice modern tags. I would do that if I had time. I like the plastic ones that the USDA uses. They are easy to find and look good as new several years later. Is there anything available like that for hobbyist using home printer.

@ Frank
I may not be a bad idea to assign numbers to your trees too.
It will be like an insurance - sometimes strange things do happen to tags.

Here are 2 sites that have numbered tags:

http://www.nationalband.com/treetags.htm
(Style 137 - 1 1/4" Round: Aluminum, Stainless Steel or Brass)

http://www.westerntree.biz/search.asp?keyword=tags&search=GO
(1 1/4" Square: Aluminum)

Also make sure that the attaching wire is both strong enough
(to last) and long enough to avoid strangling.

[Edit: Hmm; square vs round (& other shapes) #tags; this may be
another option to the 'group' color-coding I mentioned above.]

the washer is a good idea. that and some plastic tie will last forever. 

Washer-yes, plastic tie- no, if the sun gets involved

yeah.. i guess sun will weaken the plastic tie. but there are UV resistant ones that will handle -40 to 180 degree temp. should last good amount of time. once that was put near our heat pump over 10 yrs ago are still holding up. 

I write directly on the tree first (with silver Sharpie) then with the same Sharpie I write on the pot. would the silver Sharpie fade with the son?

White Tire Markers writing on the plant trunk are good enough for a few years. I usually write on at least two limbs. When trunk expands with age, the writing gets diluted but can be written over after a few years. Unfortunately the Tire Marker prices have gone up and I leave the cap off frequently after use and it has becomes another cost factor.

bump on an old thread...

Need to get some permanent labels on my fruit trees and incoming fig trees.  I've read on-line, that tags made by PawPaw hold up over a long period of time:  

http://everlastlabel.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=23&products_id=104

I'm thinking of using the HDE: Heavy Duty Rose Labels and drilling a hole in the top center so it can be screwed to the tree's trunk.

Thoughts?

I used the supplies from the link in my 1st post. Still looking brand new, thought its only been a little while. I’ve also found the safety wire keeps slugs off the trees. 

Malcolm, please resize your print (font size)