Grrrr Pens!!!

[Biscombe]

Went into the greenhouse today and the blinking sun has bleached some of my labels already!!!!! As luck would have it I knew the variety, Imagine If this happened to all your labeled plants!!!! I had used a UV waterproof pen too on home made labels made from cut up yogurt pots!!! What do you use to label your plants? and also can you recommend a good pen??

[Biscombe]

[saddad]

No and we don't get as much sun... I put a spare and push it all the way into the soil....
;D

[Georgie]

For annuals I use a pencil (which came with some cheap plastic labels I bought years ago) and it never fades, in fact it has to be scrubbed off at the end of the season.  For more permanent plants I recently invested in a label making machine.  Makes lovely clear labels which should last for years, but it's too early to say.

G x

[Biscombe]

Hmmmmm!!! label making machine.......that sounds interesting! tell me more!  ;)

[Georgie]

It's made by Dymo and is called Letra Tag.  There are various models but mine cost about £15 I think.  Google brings up lots of suppliers.   :)

G x

[Marymary]

I got a permanent marker with a set of labels from B&Q several years ago & I use it on my homemade milk-carton labels - doesn't fade at all.

[saddad]

At Potato Day there was a man with a system for making labels from old cans and indenting the names...
:-\

[Biscombe]

Wey hey!!! just ordered a dymo Junio embosser for 7.50!!!!! can´t wait to play with it!! got lots of blinking labels to make though!! gardening is sooo much fun!  ;D thanks for the help

[Georgie]

Have fun with it Biscombe.   ;D

G x

[Apple Dumpling]

If you use a permanent marker make sure that it's a lightfast one, and then it shouldn't fade. I use a Lumocolor Permanent made by Staedtler. Be careful as you choose it, as they look almost the same as the non-lightfast ones, except they have a gold strip about half an inch from the end that says lightfast (in three languages). Mine also has the number 318 printed on it.

Hope this is useful. I've had other pens fade on me before, but this one lasts.

[Nelson]

At Potato Day there was a man with a system for making labels from old cans and indenting the names...
:-\

I guess that's like those expensive copper labels you can get.  Write on them firmly with a biro and it embosses the letters into the soft metal.  Maybe it would work with cut up cans.  Something to try when my new shed's up.  Be careful though, can metal is very thin = very sharp when cut.

[Deb P]

At Potato Day there was a man with a system for making labels from old cans and indenting the names...
:-\

I was given a P-Touch label printer a year ago, I found the blue type on white labels faded to nothing in the sun in and outdoors, black on white was a bit better but not infallable!

I like the sound of metal labels, OH has a set of metal 'punches' for marking metal objects; I wonder if they would be any good for that purpose?

[legendaryone]

At Potato Day there was a man with a system for making labels from old cans and indenting the names...
:-\

I was given a P-Touch label printer a year ago, I found the blue type on white labels faded to nothing in the sun in and outdoors, black on white was a bit better but not infallable!

I like the sound of metal labels, OH has a set of metal 'punches' for marking metal objects; I wonder if they would be any good for that purpose?

Those metal punches also work on wood, so i'm thinking of using them on some ice lolly sticks  :)

[Deb P]

Those metal punches also work on wood, so i'm thinking of using them on some ice lolly sticks  :)

Now that is a brilliant idea! OH is a carpenter....will go and see what wood he has stashed away....!! ;D ;D ;D

[legendaryone]

Those metal punches also work on wood, so i'm thinking of using them on some ice lolly sticks  :)

Now that is a brilliant idea! OH is a carpenter....will go and see what wood he has stashed away....!! ;D ;D ;D

I don't know why i didn't think of it before, as i have used the the punches to mark my tools i use at the allotment.
I think i will also pencil in the punch marks to help them stand out. :)

[quizzical1]

I don't know if they are still made (haven't used/seen any for years), but in a previous job, we used to use "Chinagraph pencils". They are similar to a colouring pencil to look at, but the core is a sort of softish wax. They are supposed to be capable of writing on any surface (ie plastic, glass, metal etc).
Two problems with them....... if subjected to rough handling, the writing could rub off (not too likely on plant labels I suppose), and being softish cored, they need sharpening frequently.

Just another idea for you to ponder? Cheaper than a labelling machine, which if it produces those self adhesive labels (peel off the backing and stick 'em to whatever your putting in the pot/tray), might tend to come unstuck if the adhesive becomes wet, something which is very likely to happen with plant labels.

[vee]

I just use the normal white labels that are sold in garden centres. They were 50 for a pound.
I use a pen which I bought to label CDs and I have to remove it with an abrasive if I want to re-use the labels. It definitely doesn't fade.

[dtw]

I used cut up milk bottles and a cd marker pen.
It did fade after a couple of months though.

Why not write an abbreviation of the name on the bit that goes underground, as that bit won't fade.

I saw some lolly sticks for sale the other day and thought I needed some, but I couldn't remember why.
Now I know.

I bought a permanent marker (specially for labels)  from a garden centre, so presumably that won't fade.

[Deb P]

Thought I'd show you what my OH presented me with half an hour ago (suposedly 'working' in his workshop!) He's obviously had a think about our labels discussion, and produced this using a lolly stick and the end of his blowtorch with a chisle end (?!)



It's clear enough and should last really well, but would take me ages I suspect; can't see OH volunteering to do the hundreds I would need!