Interested to hear how you achieve this. I have seen the Dyno M1011 metal tape printer but the tape looks too thin for prolonged exposure to elements outside
@dicky5ash good idea for a thread R as we all have lost tags and labels over the years causing frustration trying to remember a name of a cultivar. My preferred method is garden aluminium tags stamped with the name by a 6mm metal letter and number punch set. I used to use 10mm for marking post codes etc on horse bridles and saddles, which was very successful. Obviously you can get larger sets, but I have found the 6mm ideal. I attach the labels by means of garden wire through the hole in the tag and twisting it around a lower branch so that it does not lift off from the wind etc. Hope this is what you are looking for, for this thread R.
Another very durable method is to write with a soldering iron on a thick plastic tag: http://www.pinetum.org/canon/label2.gif
Thank you all, much appreciated. I’d like to go for a stake in the ground/pot with the tag fixed at the top rather than tied on the tree with wire..this gives me some helpful ideas.
@dicky5ash good morning R, just thought I would post this of my Ariaki Nomura with it's label front and centre, as I hadn't shown a photo of my labels on the other post. Have great day out tomorrow btw. Forecast looks OK !!!
Thanks D..very neat tag..and lovely tree.. I am looking at staked name plates, as I’d struggle finding them when the trees grow out..Also it was for visitors so they can see rather than for my identification purpose ..I know most of mine..as we all do..There are some nice Victorian ones on eBay at £17 a pop but gave me some further ideas. Re Westonbirt weather hmmm met office says 80% of rain, BBC looks more optimistic..either way I can’t wait
Fingers are crossed for you R. Go by the BBC it looks better, lol. Re name tags, £17 each Wow. Good idea marking them at the base. Look forward to seeing how yours look when you do it.
Hey @dicky5ash wanted to get some pictures of labels how I use them here. I start with a 2m piece of zinc sewer flashing, which I cut with a grinder. I smooth the edges with a dremel (rotary grinder) to make it safe, then stamp the info onto it. I rub black shoe polish into the grooves to make the writing easily visible, though this has to be redone now and again. The labels need cleaning to look their best also, which as you can see I haven't done in a while! I attach them either to a stake in the ground, the fencing around the tree, or the tree itself with a spring and washers. Anything that goes into the tree has to be stainless. For a while I tried making half sized labels, but it turns out the larger are easier to work with in all ways. In theory I will eventually get around to putting more info on each label, but there's only time for so much at the moment.
Glad you found it helpful. I like them a lot, but there are pros and cons. If I was wealthy I'd buy a real label making machine, but they're _really_ expensive. Pros - o Very cheap o Indestructible o Looks great when well done o Really easy to read when blacked o Visitors really like knowing the names of the maples easily o Fabricating the blanks is pretty quick Cons - o Takes some skill with the stamps, some of the labels look poor o Stamping is very time consuming o Birds love to perch and poop on them o Not as good looking as what comes out of a labeling machine o Harder to read when the black washes off o Because of the stamping time, I'm forever trying to catch up with labeling.
thanks Emery very helpful..I looked into the labelling machines they are super expensive.. Yours are very effective, I’ll do something similar. I’d love to be able to produce something like these:
Wait until if/when invasive Gray Squirrels ever reach you - they love sharpening their teeth on labels. Yours wouldn't last long with that onslaught I fear!
I live right alongside a small park with loads of nice big trees..been here 20 years, this year the grey squirrels arrived..and I think one of them was the culprit of some bark munching earlier in the year..(I thought it was a wood pigeon initially) I have never seen squirrels in my garden but now it’s suddenly a regular sight.. I think 2 Siberian or Norwegian forest cats is my only option to keep them out..my parents had the latter when I was a child and “Fluffy” (lol) was a great vermin deterrent. Is it fair to expect problem if I don’t act soon?
@dicky5ash good morning R, the dreaded grey squirrel is covered by the Wildlife and countryside act 1981. An act I used to use regularly. It is an invasive species to the UK and if caught must be dispatched humanly. They cannot be released back into the wild. An offence is committed if this is done. So many people actively feed them without any consideration to the damage they cause. Here is a link that might help you. Pest advice for controlling Grey Squirrels I have used Garlic and Pepper sprays around my trees, this has proved successful, good for fox deterent also!!! Good luck R, you will need it if the greys have become established.
Interesting! Luckily we have only red, and not too many of them. I know the gray can be serious pests. But I imagine they'd be hard on plastic or copper labels too, if they can chew the zinc, which is pretty thick. It takes some cutting even with the big grinder. Yes sorry to hear about the grays in your neighborhood @dicky5ash ! I wonder how they made it up into the UK without establishing in Normandie?
thanks for the info D. my old cat Fluffy definitely had no intention of contravening the Countryside act 1981!!
@emery Foolish Victorian English estate owners added them to their gardens for ornamental purposes I gather..obtained from North America..hence Normandie missing out!