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Inexpensive Plant Markers

11 years ago

Hosta Markers

I use flat pieces of rock that I find in the creek bed behind my house. Scrub them well with an old brush and water to remove any mud, dirt etc. This is important because the paint will not stick well if you use it over dried mud or dirt. I use paint pens from my local craft store that are made specifically for pourous surfaces. The ones I use are for decorating clay flower pots. I first use a medium point black marker to write the name and let it dry completely. Then I write over the black with a fine tip white to make the letters pop. I would recommend spraying the dry markers with a clear sealer coat so they last indefinitely.

Caliloo

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I am quite happy with my markers from Eon Industries (about 30 cents each when ordering 100). I used a garden pen to label the first year, and it all faded. Now I use a Brother P-touch labeler with clear exterior grade tape (I don't know how I ever lived without it).

Make sure the garden markers are at least 12" long. That way, you can drive them far enough into the ground to be permanent-and they can also be cut to size if needed. I like to leave only about 4" above ground behind the plant.

DirtnNails

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I like to use two tags, both made from pieces of old mini blinds. One tag is about 6 inches long and it goes beside the plant. The other tag is about 2 inches long and it goes in the ground, under the plant. That way, if the top tag is ever lost or vandalized, I can always dig the plant up and find its other tag.

BigGuy5

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I got my "rose markers" from the Paw Paw Everlast Co. I use the 12" for the mini's and smalls and the 16" for the larger ones. I don't mean to sound like an advertisement for them, but the 12" were $29.35/100 and the taller were $36.25/100, freight included. I couldn't find any markers more reasonable and needed over 350 of them. I top them off with the Brother P-touch labels and am very happy with the results

Seedseller1

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Ideas for inexpensive plant labels that LAST?
Q
Comments (68)
I know the purpose of this topic and forum is to find frugal ways of doing things. But sometimes frugal is more work and/or less than satisfactory. Several years ago, I bit the bullet and bought a Brother P-Touch labeler. They have several products and some are reasonably priced. But I went "whole hog" and bought the most expensive one which cost me $100 at the time. The current similar model is much cheaper now - around $50, I think. You might try eBay. I bought it to make labels for my perennials. Everything else I have tried which have been mentioned here have to be redone frequently and each time time you lose much of the original plant info. The beauty of this printer is that it hooks up to your computer! I make the labels on the computer, same the label to a file on my computer, then print them out. These labels stay perfect in any weather and sun Forever! If you lose the label, you can look up the label in the computer and print out another one anytime. So you never lose all the original info for your plant. I know this isn't a frugal idea but our time is valuable too and saving time is as important as saving money. I still use mini-blinds but when you break them or your chickens run off with them, its so easy and quick to print up another one. You can make the type size as large or small as you want which is great for me now that I am older and I can't read the old labels with the smaller type size so make another and enlarge the type. Its an investment just like all your other good garden tools and worth it in the long run. Its handy to make labels for everything and they even have iron-on labels. Think about it, Barbara
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I hit the jackpot at my local Salvation Army Thrift store. I paid $3.00 for 86 flat handle stainless steel knives and that doesn't even count the large handful of assorted spoons and forks that also could be put to use. Think I am set for life! In the past I have tried the mini-blinds and found they get brittle and snap quite easily. The knives should hold up quite well under the heavy blanket of snow that northern NH gets. Hope your growing season has been better than ours....we had a huge amount of rain and everything is about 6 weeks late in growing (if it didn't rot first). Slugs have been very happy. :(
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I bought a box of "drink" straws (the short one used for bar drinks) - and I cut them in half for tagging seedling trays. I use the green painters tape and a permanent marker to write a little "flag" and then just put the tape (folded in half) over the straw. It doesn't get moldy (like popsicle sticks have for me...) and the tape doesn't wear out (like paper would). Once they are transplanted into larger pots - I just use a whole straw instead of cutting. You get about 200 straws for a buck - cheap and effective. :-)
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I've tried almost everything, from pricey copper stake-type markers to Target "dollar stop" tin markers...in the end, I prefer white mini blinds with Sharpie/paint pen for writing. They're cheap (a single $4 blind from WalMart can yield hundreds of markers!), widely available, easy to spot in the dirt...when you're marking hundreds of jugs/bottles/transplants, this is the thriftiest way. I cut the top ends of mine with "Victorian" scrapbooking scissors, just to make them a bit fancy :-) Karen makes a good point, the mini-blind strips are a bit harder to force into clay soil...so in the one area of my yard where this is an issue, I force a small weeder into the ground where I intend to place the marker, to help things along. Susan
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