3/8" x 3" plastic plant markers (you can find them on eBay), write the name with a black Sharpie marker - or HB pencil. They are short enough you can sink them deep in a pot so they wouldn't be on the way. Pencil stays forewer, Sharpie - bleaches in 2 years.

I use strips of colored electrical tape on the outside of the pot. I write the name and date of last repotting on it. As a tip, I like to fold over one corner of the tape so that it sticks to itself before placing it on the pot. This way there is a convenient tab to pull when I need to remove it. Electrical tape is nice in that it is readily available and doesn't really leave residue on the pots like other kinds of tape can.

I write directly on the pot with a sharpie. Leaves and small plants are in plastic cups that are cut away when I repot. The plastic cup is tossed.

I number the cups rather than write a name but I have received plants in small plastic cups with the names written on the plastic cup.

Bigger Pots have a number, not a name. The pot by number is listed in the records and the name of the plant that is in the pot. It is a number system of pots rather than names.

Numbered pots work better for me but it is complicated to explain.

My record would show Pot #X Name Manitoba. When I repot the plant is recorded Pot #Y Name Manitoba RePot #X

Nothing wrong of writing everything on a pot. When it is done and needs to be washed- I soak it in a bucket with bleach added - for a week - usually it means I repotted the whole bunch, and the bucket is full of dirty pots. And off you go - the pots need rinsing - that's it.

These are some pretty good ideas! I have been hesitant to write directly on the pots until now, but I have so many plants now! I need not only labels on the plants, but some sort of catalogue or list on the computer, since I have more than just violets.

Great Idea!!! I will wait to see how it will be implemented - it is usually the one that belongs to the category ...good intentions... ;-((

Normally I would agree with you about that category "good intentions", but I am on my way already to having a pretty decent system. I've been photographing things all along, so all I really have to do is put it all in a document and begin typing descriptions and stuff. Of course, that's still a lot of work, and with so many other things going on...

Yea, maybe "good intentions". :)

I use white plastic plant markers for each plant or leaf. I label everything. I don't find that the plant markers get in the way that much at all. As far as the cups that the leaves are in, I use stick on labels with clear tape over it. And yes I also fold over one end so that I have a little "tab" to pull it off! Rosie

For the [ar] labelers out there [yes I know there are a few with me on this ... ]

• For my garden plants, a label goes both above ground and below [at 7:00] the ground. Then it gets marked on a map. It then gets an index card. Info on the card is input to my computer database, which gets copied to a thumb drive, and the cloud. The index card goes in a recipe box. You lose the marker above ground, you can always dig the other one up. The map is … basically ever-changing, and therefore, nearly useless. The index card goes back out to the garden in the spring to make notes on the plant progress [number of eyes, date of first being seen, etc].

yeah, I know ...

Wow.

Rubbing Alcohol removes ink from plastic and most everything else. Pens leak in pockets of white shirts. Isopropyl will remove it.

If the pot is porous, as in Styrofoam, better to just toss the pot and number another one.

Is there any reason Styrofoam should not be used? It seems a good size between the 3 oz and the 4 inch. I have problems going directly from 3 oz to 4 inch. Any other solutions?

What is wrong with styrofoam??? Rosie

Ugly?

The only disadvantage to styrofoam is the fact it's lightweight & plants can easily topple over in them. I have often used styrofoam cups for pots; some I cut down so they aren't so tall.

hmmmm. Rosie

It is rather unsightly. I'm always looking for containers the right size, and I don't think I've ever seen styrofoam cups the right size. I have had pretty good luck with plastic condiment cups, 2.5 oz for semiminis and 5 oz for most of my standards, plus all kinds of small food containers. The condiment cups I ordered on Amazon. I try to choose things that are clear because I like being able to see the roots. Ideally, I would like to find some markers that stick into the dirt so I don't have to worry about removing pen or marker from pots, although the tape idea isn't bad. I've been using scotch tape and tiny strips of paper temporarily.

Aha - here is a pic with a label. It is pulled out for the photo - otherwise you can push it down to hide. The pot is 3", the label is 3" as well.

I honestly do not like the plant stake labels. I find that on many plants it interferes with the leaves and I don't like to have to pull them out to read them; also I worry about the possibility of them being knocked out or heaven forbid switched by little grand child hands. I do sometimes write directly on the pot, esp. those recycled containers, but on the white pots that I purchase I use removable water resistant labels by Avery. Avery Labels at Amazon I don't usually bother to print them with my computer and printer, but hand write with a pen or sharpie. I can peel them off (sometimes more than once) if I am potting up to a larger size pot and re-use them.

I wouldn't have the same problem as AnneCecilia. At least, there aren't any others who would pull tags out or switch them. And I pretty much already know which plant is which, so the label would really only be as a backup. I'll have to see if I can find some locally. And of course, you could also cut down a label to fit flush with the soil line if necessary.