Labeling palms

[Ben in Norcal]

Needless to say, like all you other addicts, I have lots of different species of palm, and citrus, in my yard. Not all of them need labeling but some do. And, I just like to label them, being the dork that I am. I have been doing so with metal tags and a Sharpie, but after a few months they fade to nothing in the California sun. What are the best solutions you all have found for labeling? I am looking at the metal tags you can "engrave" with a ball point pen, which might do for the bulk of my trees. However I would be interested in some more "formal" tags for some special trees, on stakes, e.g. the Patric Schafer JxS that I just planted in honor of my daughter's birth.

What are the best solutions you all have for labeling, especially when you are looking for something that looks like tags you might find in a botanical garden? And, where do you source them?

Pics welcome, of course.

[Pando]

For handwritten tags use pencil. I know it's counter-intuitive, but pencil won't fade like sharpie does.

[MattyB]

http://www.plantsigns.com/

[Ben in Norcal]

Oooh, I like those, Matty - just what I was looking for. Thanks!

[KennyRE317]

I currently use white plastic stakes with a rectangular top to write the info on with pencil, i'll switch over to more permanent signs later if a plant survives a year in the ground

[Ben in Norcal]

That's what I am thinking as well. Temporary labels for my smaller and more experimental things, permanent ones for my larger plants.

[Dr. George]

I have always liked these ID tags. Has a heavy gauge galvanized wire stake that goes into the ground with loop on top onto which the tag is slipped. I assume its a system where you buy the blank tags and stakes and then punch out the info on the tag yourself, but don't know who makes it or how to get the system.

If anyone has any additional info on it, would appreciate knowing - gmp

[NorCalWill]

Call Kevin Weaver, he has a friend who makes labels

[Pando]

DIY

Letter stamp set:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=letter%20stamp%20set&sprefix=letter+stamp+s%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aletter%20stamp%20set

or Engraver:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=engraver&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aengraver

Blank dog tags:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=blank+dog+tags&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ablank+dog+tags

Edited May 25, 2014 by Pando

[Sabal Steve]

I was considering painting ID's on some boulder sized rocks and setting them next to my plants. Oil paint. Similar to what Dennis Willoughby has for markers. Also, I had considered taking black nursery pots and cutting out a square. The square could then be transposed onto a backer of sorts. Then, they could be labeled with a lighter colored oil paint. I hadn't came up with a solution for the stakes.

You could probably find some free materials by trolling throigh the dumpster areas of commercial/corporate/industrial parks.

[gob1]

The Cranbourne Botanic Gardens in Vic use Avery/Fasson exterior grade vinyl to print their "temporary" labels, using a Zebra ZM400 printer. Apparently these last about 5 years and they stick this label on cheap white plastic plant labels. Unfortunately I don't have the exact product number of the vinyl, or whether the vinyl can be printed on other (I expect laser) printers.

They do look good though, you choose the info you include on the label and 5 years is way longer than I plan for anything.

If anyone has experience with these it would be good to hear from you.

[ahicks51]

Hey, wow; a topic on which I have strong feelings!

First off- Sharpie fades over time. The Sakura Ident-I-Pen is inexpensive, and it writes in paint, not pigments; they are considered archival, and don't fade over time. I have used them more than a decade under fluorescent lighting for plants in tissue culture under conditions that destroy Sharpie, and Ident-I-Pen holds up much better.

Secondly, for inexpensive plant tags that won't snap after months or years in the sun, cut strips of aluminum can, punch a hole in it, and inscribe the information using a nail. A little ghetto, but it works.

[tank]

you can also buy a roll of non-adhesive aluminum tape and use an engraver, embosser tool or a nail.

http://www.labelvalue.com/labels/printer-labels/embossing-tapes/1-2-non-adhesive-aluminum-tape-p-175.html

[_Keith]

I stayed at a hotel once where rather than trying to label, they had a couple of 3-ring binders in the lobby. There was a garden map on the first page and then each page was plant name, description, and other details, then a wide focus picture of it in the bed, and a tight focus picture of the plant itself. People could just pick up a binder and wander through the gardens. Had everything you every wanted to know right in your hands and in far more detail than a label could ever hold. They even had a few posthumous plants, and some before and after shots on some, too.

I've been wanting to do that here.

[Pando]

Oooh! Even better - use "augmented reality" app on iPad or tablet, point your iPad's camera to the palm and it will overlay a label for you.

Now, if I can only find the right app, if it even exists.

To see where I'm going with this, watch this video:

Edited May 27, 2014 by Pando

[Mike Evans]

I recently purchased some 15" stainless steel plant markers from Kincaid. I was really impressed with these and professional looking. They will last a lifetime with the heavy gauge S/S and economical. You can print labels on Avery self stick labels, cut them out, stick them on the SS marker, then paint a couple coats of spray polyurethane over the labels. Bill Austin showed me how he did this. I tested some by soaking them under water for a few days and they hold up. The only thing I worry about is the Iron in my irrigation sprinklers. It might turn them dark over time. If it does, I will strip them and start over. If you save your label files, you only have to reprint and stick them on.

http://www.kincaidplantmarkers.com

[Ben in Norcal]

Thanks for all the ideas! Mike, those look really nice.

For now, I am going with a two-pronged strategy. I ordered around 20 really nice formal signs from Plantsigns.com - so we will see what those are like. Gary at Plantsigns seems to be an old California palm nut himself, so hopefully he will do a nice job. That number of signs is just for my foundational (larger) palms in the front yard, as a test. For my smaller stuff (< 15g size) I will go with metal tags that are easy to impress (even with a ball point pen) and the letter stamp kit Pando recommends above. When those palms mature/get big, I will transition them over to proper signs. They have to earn them.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

My next project is RFID for my palm collection. Not only do the RFID report on their location, but you can store all sorts of info about the palm that way. See http://www.mpilabels.com/mpi-products/rfid-for-outdoor-inventory.

You can still mark the RFID tags with a pen so that you can read your tags in case we get a massive solar flare http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sunearth/news/flare-impacts.html.%C2'>

[Mike Evans]

If you ever use the laser printed labels, you can add a QR Code to Palmpedia, so your visitors can read about the Palm on their smart phones.