How to label seedlings and pots

Why label seedlings at all?

Because 2 weeks after sowing, most seedlings look alike: two small leaves on a stem. A tray of six varieties turns into a guessing game.

Identify each container or tray with a tag.

A label also keeps the sowing date, which tells you when to expect sprouts and when to move the plants on. Without it, the second sowing of lettuce gets mixed up with the first.

Stakes for trays, T-tags for pots

Stakes, at 4 × 0.8 inches, for seed trays and small pots. T-tags, with a 2.36-inch head, for bigger pots and beds where you want a date and a note.

Start seeds in small, individual containers.

One of our buyers found the 4-inch stakes too big for starter trays. In the smallest cells, cut a stake shorter or use one label per row rather than per cell.

I came back buying more of these. These actually work! All other marks ive bought before the ink would come off no matter what i used. These seem to work great for me. I use a pencil to write and it stays and doesn't rinse off! Only complain is they are fairly large. Which is great for bigger pots or garden beds but when dtarting out seed trays or small pots they are way too big. But they are very durable and really nice labels tho!!

What should you write on plant labels with?

A pencil or a permanent marker: both hold up to watering, and buyers of our 100-label packs use each and report the names stay put.

Use a permanent marker.

Pencil is easy to correct, and a marker reads from farther away. Write before you push the label into wet soil, while the plastic is still dry.

What goes on a plant label?

3 things: the variety, the sowing date and, if there is room, a short note such as the seed source or a planned spacing.

• Variety: "Sungold tomato", not "tomato".
• Date: the day you sowed, in a short form like 3/14.
• Note: "2nd sowing", "from saved seed" or a bed number.

T-tags have room for all three. On a stake, put the variety along the length and the date at the top.

Can you color-code plant labels?

Yes: our T-tags come in a mix of 5 colors on the pack photo, so give each color a meaning. Sort by bed, by sowing week or by crop type.

One buyer of our T-tags liked the thickness and wished for a pack of one color. The mixed pack works best when you plan a code before you start writing.

These markers are thick and can be easily pushed into the ground. Much better than some other brands that are thin and flimsy. My only issue is not being able to get all green.

How do you reuse plastic plant labels?

Wash them at the end of the season and sort them for next year: our labels come 100 to a pack, and household cleaner takes the soil off.

They are thick. Plastic plant markers. Work amazing. If you use perm marker they will stay through rain and use. If you need to remove perm marker and relabel. You simply put alcohol on the end and when it bubbles the letters, you can then wipe away ink with a paper towel. Good price for a good product and generous amount

Most plastic seed-starting containers are reusable.

Another buyer keeps the labels of plants worth growing again in one pile at the end of the season. Next spring, that pile is the sowing list.

These garden markers are great. They’re made of strong durable plastic, so they’ve been surprisingly reusable. I like that they’re on the large side, because as the summer goes on and everything grows bigger, being able to read whatever’s on markers I’ve used in the past difficult. Dirt gets on them, dirt washes itself off when it rains. At the end of the season last year I put the markers for seeds I wanted to regrow this year in one pile, and ones I wanted to skip in another, which has made it easier getting my garden ready this year.

How long do plastic labels last outdoors?

Indoors and in pots they last for many seasons. In full sun outdoors all summer, any plastic wears faster, so check the outdoor labels each spring and replace cracked ones from the pack of 100.

AMORNING T-Type Plant Tags, 100 Pack

$7.18

See Price & Reviews

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