Ryan - what do you use to write on these blinds? I used some in my garden recently and used a Sharpie type permanent marker to write with. Haven't had time to see if the writing lasts. Do you have experience in this? Does anyone else? If the marker lasts - it's a great way to mark plants for free. Free is always best! Thanks, Linda

Ryan,

I'll take some of that action and I work out in W Knox anyway. Been meaning to stop by... Anyway, I don't need a lot.
Beebees, I'll be using a sharpie. There's nothing that lasts longer.

Cheryl told me that Sharpies fade. I noticed that she used pieces of vinyl blinds and a metallic gel pen on her plant markers for the ETN swap. Another great one that I saw was tongue depressors written on with pencil! Tongue depressors probably aren't free, but they might be cheap.

-Regina

Cheryl,
Cough up the secret. What's this metallic gel pen you're using? ;-)

I have blinds of my own and a Sharpie will last a year or so, but the blinds are great markers.

I got one plant at the swap that was marked with a stick similar to the ones that come with the fudgecicles I eat in secret. Shhhh! It was pretty easy to read.

The tongue depressors don't last -- they rot, and the writing fades off. I've never tried the blinds, but I think I'd try.....maybe pencil or wax pencil? Or sharpies -- they will fade after awhile, but they'll last for a good bit anyway.

The fudgecicle stick was me! I collected them for a few weeks from the ones we secretly eat! Shhh

I saw on Weekend Gardening that she uses the wood stirrers from Starbucks, and I thought "hmmm, I think fudgecicle sticks could work, too."

But if they rot, like Ione says, then I will move to vinyl mini-blinds and gel pens. I have to admit, Smokymist's (Cheryl) labels were the easiest to read out of all the labels I got (and didn't get!)

-Regina

Yeah, I tried some tongue depressors last year -- they're all rotten this year. :-/ I've never tried the gel pen, but I don't see why it wouldn't work!

I'll have to try the window blind things. The cats provide me with a pretty steady supply of broken off blind pieces. When there are birds to be chittered at, it's faster to go through the blinds rather than pull them away from the window sill. Do it often enough and cat-sized cutaways are formed on the sides.

Yeah, my birds (Amazon parrots) leave me with plenty of broken blind pieces! I haven't tried em for markers yet, but it's only because I'm too lazy!

Ok, since you're saving all the money on the markers, go splurge and get a label machine from Office Depot. Tapes last forever and ever, even when underground and wet. If you're blind, you can print big letters, if deaf, loud ones. (:>) Seriously, I just recently dug some daylilies in MS that we had supposedly lost the tags on and low and behold, they were in the mass of roots when dug up. Wipe the dirt off and they were as good as new.

Use a pencil. I use cut up blinds with pencil in the full sun and I still have what is written after a year as if i just wrote it.

Just like the US spending millions to develope a pen that would write upsidedown in Space...the Russians used a pencil :)

Rebecca

Been at the swap and just saw this sorry ! The metallic markers are paint pens, you can get them at any craft shop, and they last forver. The sharpies will so fade...I lost so many names on my daylilies that way. Pencils are great, or just go to the seed warehouse down off Cherry Street , spend $2.00 and get a plant marking pen that you'll LOVE.

Cheryl

I second the pencil. It works better than anything I have ever tried.
I would be happy to take some of those mini-blinds off your hands! There are never enough!

I've been using blinds with pencil now for 6 years and still have some of the first ones that I put out. One word of advise, some of the newer blinds that come from WM are not heavy enough to last very long. My DIL gave me some last year that her dog destroyed and they were so thin that I could not push them into the soil. I used them in the GH and used the older heavier ones for outside. I'm just about out of the good ones and I'm about ready to go to Home Depot to see what they do with the ones they get damaged. I sure do hate to buy a good blind and then turn around and cut it into 8" long pieces!! Anyone have any ideas of where to find the free ones???

I hope everyone got some of our rain this week. We had about 3 inches spread out over 5 days. Nice, slow, soaking rain and God sure did bless us with this. WE hadn't had rain for over 4 weeks. Praise the Lord, no water hoses being dragged around the yard for hours and hours this week! Love to all and may God bless each and everyone with his loving Grace, Mona

A paint pen or a grease pencil (china marker) work the best for long term. Sharpies barely last a season if exposed fully to the UV of the sun. Buried a bit or turned where the marked face is north, they can last a couple of seasons. But, the label machine is the longest term of all.

What sort of label machine? Mine uses a tape that does not put up with getting wet - the sticky backing lets go. Tell us more!

-Regina

A few years ago I read an article in some plant magazine where someone had tested every brand and type of marker they could find on the market to see which one lasted longer on outdoor plant labels. The author concluded that Black DecoColor Paint Markers were the longest lasting.

I did a search online to see where to get them. By far the least expensive place I found was Dick Blick (for some reason, I love saying that very fast over and over) Art Supplies. These people not only had the best prices I could find but also had no minimum order. They were just wonderful to do business with in every way.

I use the extra-fine type, but I also bought some fine and have used them for labels where I didn't have to write much. I made many of my labels years ago and can see no sign of fading. They do seem to basically last forever.

Thanks for the tip, Brandon!

Good ole Martha Stewart makes one heck of a garden marker if you can still find them. (mine is lost someplace) I have my window blinds from work sitting on my lap as we speak. l@@kinng forward to making many markers over the Holiday weekend. Doesnt that sound like FUN! Think they would make nice holiday gifts too. Great stockinng stuffers. (pen, pencil, blinds cut for them to make)

Walmart sells the paint pens. You can get them in black or colors.

I have the Martha Stewart plant marker pens from KMart. They do work well, but the DecoColor markers seem to last longer. Even after years in the weather, the DecoColor doesn't fade, the Martha Stewart marker does eventually fade.

Ok I'll admit Free is great, but most blinds are
white. I don't want anything that bright in my garden,
I really like the look of wood markers. I always ask for
extra paint stir sticks, when purchasing paint. They are
much thicker than tongue depressers(also sold at craft
stores for whatever)
I usually spray paint the stir sticks with Copper colored
metalic paint. Then use a Dark Green paint pen. I try to use a Arts and Crafts style font when labeling.
This gives a subtle and very attractive marker. which
lasts for several years. I suppose I could purchase the
paint stir sticks online in bulk and replace them as the
bottom begans to deteriorate.

Pencils and grease pencils barely last a season here (and the pencils were sent with the PawPaw markers). I use the paint pens mentioned above (from Michaels craft store) and so far they have lasted several years. I'm also trying the Sharpie Industrial Permanent Marker that came from Office Depot. They've held up the first full year.

Isn't it funny how different things work for people, or don't. I love grease pencils, they have lasted 2 or 3 seasons & still look bright. Paint pens do well, but only in black. I don't know why the blue would fade, but it does. Some permanent markers seem to last, and industrial permanent Sharpie seems top last well, but the grease pencils were cheaper for me & don't dry out.

I have a daughter in the nursery business and she gave me a couple of markers called "NURSERY MARKING PEN". It is sunproof, waterproof and non smear. It will mark on plastic or wood. It's available at wholesale nursery companies. I love mine. Had the first one for 2 years and I can vouch for it.