Methods for labeling tubers and plants

Krista

calico20hill Oh I’m so sorry, Noni! I can commiserate wholeheartedly on that feeling of horror. I’m glad to hear you’ve been able to save some, and I hope you end up still having enough for your garden. The time it takes to repot and get them all situated again can feel so cruel, but it’s amazing how resilient those little plants can be.

Teddahlia

For many years, I have been placing tubers/pot tubers into a pot and identifying them with a 5 inch long nursery tag. Invariably, a pot falls over along with some others and perhaps I did not notice the plant tag fell out or some variation of this and long story short, the pot has no name tag and I do not write on tubers. What the hell is it!!! This year I am placing two tags into the pots. That may well help as two tags dropping out of a pot is a rare occurrence.

SteveM

I used to place a label in the pot and also write the variety's initials on the pot (with a grease pen). Lately, I have gone back to just using one label in the pot. Noni's experience reminds me of why I need to go back to a failsafe system of some sort. I feel your pain, Noni.

Krista

SteveM write the variety's initials on the pot (with a grease pen)

This is a great idea! I wrote in sharpie on painters tape and slapped that on the side of my pots. Now the tape is peeling off the pots so I have a rubber band around the pot trying to hold the tape in place. 🥴

calico20hill

I highly recomment writing at least the initials or a plant number on that tuber! The peace of mind when you have just a few of something and know that is what you just rescued is worth any bother. And I really want it to be a code I know by heart. Seeing a number from any one of many different suppliers with no more clue is so frustrating! That was why I was writ9ing out the names of all the River's Varieties before potting the tubers. I've been growing number 91 for several years wihtout ever knowing for sure what it is! Was it a River's or was it a Connell one that Rivers was selling 2 years ago? I just remember that I liked it.

SteveM

Krista I quit using this method because the last grease pens (pencils?) I bought on Ebay wouldn't write on my slick, smooth pots. The grease pencils I used years ago worked fine. Maybe the formula has changed?

MissyWeitzel

SteveM these work great for writing on plastic pots, tags, tubers, etc. The writing actually lasts. I used it to label a perennial in the landscaping 3 years ago and the writing has faded a little, but not much. The ink dries almost immediately too, so it doesn’t smudge easily. They're available on Amazon too.

JessieC

MissyWeitzel Yes, these are great! I have a fine tip and also found the fat one at my local shop. Nice to have a spare. Sharpie never lasts and it’s hard to see pencil for me.

SteveM

MissyWeitzel I have used the Garden Marker for labels and it works great for those but it is not readable on my black Anderson pots. A yellow or white grease marking pencil was readable and it was easy to remove the writing when I reused the pots.
Oops, sorry, it seems I have taken this thread off the tracks. 🙂

JessieC

SteveM I wonder if a paint marker might work on your black plastic pots. I have a couple of types in my art supply bin and I will experiment and report back!

SteveM

JessieC Yes, paint markers work well but they are permanent and difficult to remove. The grease markers were easy to rub off for reuse. I used to mark my flats with paint markers and I still have flats with writing from 20 years ago.

Teddahlia

John Spangenberg has his labels printed professionally. Only black ink and no picture. Cost unknown but it is rather classy and they easily last several years. My hand written tags are sometimes only legible to me and Margaret curses at me at times during the season. Her tags are very neat and tidy. There are nursery markers for black pots and they look like crayons were used . Maybe it is crayon?

SteveM

Teddahlia There are nursery markers for black pots and they look like crayons were used . Maybe it is crayon?

Those are the grease marking pencils I referred to. The last batch I bought did not work on my slick, black Anderson pots while the ones I used to buy did.They are very much like crayons. I stored mine in a drawer in the barn and a mouse (or mice) loved them and made nests out of them. So at least they didn't go to waste.

calico20hill

I like the above pictured Garden Markers. A quantity order of them lasts me a couple of years. It makes me feel rich and well prepared when I can grab a fresh Garden Marker out ot he drawer! I have not found a good solution for marking pots. Therefore I just mark the tuber and the ID tag. I still have a lot of the green 4" pots marked with a long defunct dahlia name from its first year of experimenting with plant ID's.

Krista

calico20hill I know that flush feeling to have back up anything! Open a container and have sleeves of fresh, clean nursery pots, tags, markers, etc! 🥳 It also makes me feel very organized and prepared, which couldn’t be farther than the truth on most things.

Krista

I just encountered my first duplicate using bird labeling abbreviations: STGI

Salish Twilight Girl
Saddlerock Tiny Giant

calico20hill

Krista Oh Woops! I had not noticed that!
It will have to go the next step...Twi Girl and Tiny Gi

Krista

calico20hill I’ll do the same 😊 It was fun to finally encounter a dupe in my inventory!