Another Great Idea For Plant Markers Discovered!

My Dad purchased 2 dress shirts from a company, & they sent him a packet of white plastic collar stays in the box. They are about 3 inches long, pointed at the end & have a thin rectangular shape. They are perfect for pot or plant markers! I googled & found that they can be purchased in metal too. They come in 3 sizes. I also found one dealer that sells them with holes punched in the ends for a clip - they could be tied to the plant stem with a twist tie or wire. Has anyone used these as markers before? They seem ideal!
Julie

No, but come to think of it, they would be perfect. Do you have a link you could post?

i haven't bought a shirt with collar stays in 40 years. didn't know they still made them. you may still have a problem when yhou put them outdoors. the heat and water tend to remove the writting on the plastic.
sequee suggestion is to buy some icecream stick sold in hobby stores, write the name of the plant on it and then cover with clear nail polish. she says they last a long time.

Julie,
I have used them and they do fine. I think you can get them at most stores. I had some b/c they sold them in the hotel giftshop where I worked.

Herbie,
You can buy special markers made for outdoor use. I have one and the ink doesn't fade. You can buy them at garden centers or any place that sells gardening supplies. I have found that my Sharpies fade after a yr or so. You could put the clear polish on any plant marker I would think. Popsicle sticks tend to rot after 1 yr for me.

My Popsickle sticks rotted after a year, but I continue to use them - I just replace them each Spring. I didn't make a note of the links - most were companies that sold the dress shirts. but eBay had some for sale... I just thought the shape & size was perfect! The Sharpie marker has a Sharpie for Industrial use - it may be difficult to locate, but Staples carries them. One report stated that the ink lasted 3 years!

This message was edited Mar 17, 2006 11:11 PM

Berrygirl,

"I have found that my Sharpies fade after a yr or so."

I used a bunch of colored Sharpies in last year's garden, and they faded in less than two months in the sun and rain. Now I will use only the black Sharpies for outside garden use. I get mine from Staples, although most any place has them - like drug stores, Wal-Mart, etc.

MM

i know they will rot but for 98 cents i got a hundred and fifty of them.

I like to use the popsickle sticks for pots of annual seeds or vegetables. I can jot down the name of the seed, until it is time to transplant them into the garden. I can use as many as I would like, & I can toss them into the compost or tuck it into the earth when I am finished with it. For seeds that I sow every year, the popsickle sticks work great! For more permanent markers, I like the plastic ones marked with a Sharpie. You can scratch off the Sharpie ink with a scouring pad & use it again. I am not certain about nail polish - they say it is highly toxic, & can take many years to break down in a landfill. What will it do in my garden? What do the chemicals DO to the earth?

Is anyone here a member of the National Garden Club? I received the nicest gifts from them today for joining and becoming a lifetime member. I received a pair of garden gloves, a waterproof gardening blanket/pad, a metal keychain w/logo tag, a lopper with an extendable/retractable handle, stationary with my name on it, and fold-up metal clippers w/case (similar to a Leatherman). Yet to come is a Temperature Monitorying Station and a 7-Piece Gardeners Tool Set and and Canvas Tote bag. Also from time to time I am supposed to receive a free gardening product for testing.

kyjoy,
If you mean the National Home Gardening Club [which I believe you do] then I too am a lifetime member.

They have a great website, too.

Tell me more - what is the fee for joining?