plastic labels..what ink?

[Ray]

Sort-of a different subject, Bil. If your plants have any chance of being knocked over and unpotted, labeling the pot or mound is worthless, especially if you are hit by a strong wind storm that dumps several.

Brother P-Touch is by far the best, black text on white has the vest UV resistance. My next choice is Sharpie EXtreme pens, which are relatively new on the market.

[Salixx]

I got a hand-held label makers for under $25 with three rolls of label tape. One is useless for the pots (it's paper), but the other two plastic labels are great. It can get tedious typing those really long, no-name hybrids but otherwise is a snap.

I used Sharpies and they worked fine, until I moved a bunch of plants outside for the summer. It faded very quick. Also, if you use isopropyl alcohol for any kind of treatment and get it on your label - it removes permanent marker lickety split!

If I am extra lazy or can't find my label maker, I grab a mechanical pencil that's laying around. I don't have any #2 ones so they have to do.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Ray

Sort-of a different subject, Bil. If your plants have any chance of being knocked over and unpotted, labeling the pot or mound is worthless, especially if you are hit by a strong wind storm that dumps several.

True, but then unless you can afford a proper label maker with the name fused into the plastic, everything has problems. Even then if something knocks over all your pots, you are in the you-know-what whatever you do.

[estación seca]

Cactus & succulent growers have issues with UV fading, as well. None of the "UV resistant" pens on the market last more than 1-2 years in full sun.

There are two favorite solutions. One is #2 pencil on a hard plastic label. The other involves scavenging discarded metal window blinds, cutting them up, and writing on them firmly with a ball-point pen, to emboss the writing into the metal.

[Roberta]

#2 pencil. Lasts longer than the label. Only other thing as durable (and much more expensive) are the soft aluminum tags, where writing actually embosses the text into the soft metal.

[kg5]

Sharpies are lasting about 12 month in a open type enviroment.

Will use a #2 lead pencil with a paint marker next to it and we will have a look at what happens.

All my orchids come with black printed plastic labels and they are still fine after about 3 years now.

Can see the need to put a good label at the bottom of a pot. What a great idea.

Have been wrapping orchids with shade cloth around posts with the tag placed at the back of the root system. They are being attached to the posts that hold up a large shade cloth roof that softens, covers the Japanese garden that we are growing. The Japanese weeping maples are doing great here so far with heavy shade.

---------- Post added at 05:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:48 PM ----------

When you talk about #2 lead pencil is it B2 or H2?

[jkofferdahl]

I use a rapidograph and India Ink. The ink will greatly outlast the plastic.