I was unsure if you had a place, so I am making a thread. Please share what you have used to tag multigrafted tree limbs! What worked and did not?
I have read 2 methods so far here and would like them preserved in one place. If you use unusual tools let us know where we could buy them.
Does this help? I found it here using the search function.
In this old thread i discussed impresso tags which i use and what didnt work An untagged pear wound up being Ayers - Been wanting that variety
For cuttings and new grafts I use and Inkzall paint marker, which seems to last about a year or two on growing wood. For a more permanent solution the Emboss-o-tag is better.
On a larger scale I would use those white plastic nursery tags and write on them with a UV resistant permanent marker.
Aluminum flashing cut into strips and an engraving tool
I did this last year with the UV-resistant Sharpie with grafts as a temporary measure while the grafts took. Wish I wouldn’t have and had instead used the Emboss-o-tags. I have several unknown trees now because the UV resistant marker faded over the summer.
Harbor freight engraver (cheap) and a roll of aluminum (think i got mine at menards)… Put a hole in it…use some metal wire… done… very simple/effective.
They are holding up great so far. Ill tey to get a pic of them
I totally agree. I was busy last year. By the end of the season when I had time to replace those plastic tags (written with UV resistant permanent marker, no less) with permanent tags, several tags were too faded to make out the names. I’ve about a dozen “guess what I am” trees as a result.
I’ve also learned that it’s the quality of those plastic tags, rather than the quality of a marker that makes a difference. (I pretty much use the same markers). Some tags that have quite “oily” surfaces cause letters to fade within one season. I have some tags that I wrote on since 2015 that the names are still clearly legible.
I went back to my purchase order and ordered from the original company again this year. I’ll see if the quality of the tags from this company is as good as it was in the past.
Last year I wrote the variety name on both sides of the plastic tags. The side facing the sun was sometimes illegible months later. The other side was good to go. Standard Sharpie marker.
Going forward I have a sheet of aluminum and a letter punch set. Will cut them to size and drill a hole during the winter months probably.
Those 3D Printed tags are nice @speedster1
if you have the tools to cut metal a good source for tags that will last 100+ years is take a metal stud from the big box store or go to any commercial construction site and get it for free. cut to the size you want drill a hole and engrave name. i am using 1inx3in blanks i got from my friend who is in the HVAC trade.
Where did you get a letter punch set?
Where did you get the 3D printer?
@David_DeafGardening Amazon, the set I got was about $15 I believe.
@thepodpiper aren’t those typically galvanized steel?
probably, does it matter?
I cant remember if that came from Amazon or Alibaba. It was not very expensive. It took me a while to put it together but still works well to this day. As you can see, this Shiro label was printed two years ago and it still looks great. All of these 3d printed labels are holding up well.
I bought a laser cutter a few months back and test cut this label out of 3mm birch ply. It looks great and only took about 10 seconds to cut. However it is ply so likely wont last long. I plan to dip it in polyurethane and see how it holds up. What will likely work better than all of these labels that are cut from 3mm acrylic. The laser cutter cuts acrylic really well. Ill post them here when I get them cut.
Are you doing anything to seal the cut edge which wouldn’t be galvanized? Seems like would rust otherwise.
Dave,
You have the skills and the tools. You should do custom made tags for us. Keep the price reasonable, olease 
I would certainly do it with the laser. Its very quick. I dont think 3d printing them would pay for itself. Its a much slower process. Let me get some samples of the acrylic labels and ill post them here.
I stake my dwarf trees to 3/4" galvanized conduit (10’ with 4’ in the ground and 6’ above). I label the conduit with small swatches of aluminum flashing. I write on the flashing with an electric engraver. I attach the aluminum flashing to the conduit with hose clamps. (If this be overkill, let’s make the most of it.) I have room to record the variety, the size at planting, the date planted, the root stock, and the source of the scion.
