They’re quite very easy and quick to make. They lasts more than your mortal life here on earth. It’s way faster than ordering and waiting for shipment of your tags to arrive. Here are the things you would need. You can substitute the ties with whatever you have available for free. You can trim off the sharp edges to create oval shape, make sure you don’t violate Apple’s patent on the rounded rectangle
Use a ball point pen, having ink is optional. Use the pen to etch the name of the plant or cultivar on it along with other info that you want documented. Make sure to etch on the tag using a soft cardboard on the back to make it easier to write the label.
When I made can labels I used a paper punch to put holes in them. They are cheap and work great…but we don’t buy or drink canned anything, so cans were hard to come by.
I also needed MANY tags.
I bought a roll of inch by 20 feet alluminum flashing at home depot and cut tags with an old paper cutter.
Stack, n clamp a bunch then drill the tie hole…use an engraver to write, and they cost about 3 cents each if I remember right, for a 1 x 3 inch tag.
I also use a lot of al.cans for tags
I cut all the way around the can, so I end up with a strip about 6" long
And 1" wide
Then I pull it over a sharp edge to make curly "Q"s
These will wrap around a branch and expand as it grows.
No wire needed, and they don’t blow around in the wind.
Have had real good luck with this method,
Some 15 yrs old, need moved every so often
I made some of those, years ago.
Deer ate them all, or chewed them to the point that you couldn’t read them
Make two and bury one at the north - or at your choice of cardinal directions - side of the plant for retrieval when the hanging tag is no longer functional
I had a rasty ole goat chew one pop can tag badly.
Thankfully out in the nursery I have lists of what is planted on each row for reference in case tags get lost.
The heavier aluminum flashing will not be so easily eaten…or rendered unreadable by chewing.
That seems like a great idea, I was actually just about to start replacing the plastic tags on all of my trees with metal ones but was concerned about wire damage to the trees.
I use aluminum tags as well but last year I 3d printed tags for some grafts. They worked phenomenally. The black lettering is plastic so it will never wear off.
Tree tags. I have used these for years; they are easy to use and hold up to the elements. I put basic information about tree: what, variety, source, and date. The original tag(s) I keep in folder. The “pen” is sharp nail taped to a piece of plastic. Ezy-peezy.
3D printers are relatively affordable nowadays if you don’t mind their smaller print volumes! My local library offers 3D printing services as well- I believe they charge by weight so it should be a pretty economical option as well in case anyone is interested. I would check their prices but it seems like their website is down right now
Cut metal of your choice (I don’t like the flimsy cans for this anymore). Poke holes. Stamp variety and date. Take soft aluminum wire and bend a loop in one end. Thread on the tag. Curl a loop in the other end for a nail. Stick a nail in the loop. Drive the the nail into the tree near the graft. I like to imagine that the tags, twisting in the wind and glittering in the sun, might help deter birds.
No one has cut on their own fingers vith these cane tags? I think I must smooth edges with sandpapper and this is time-consuming. So I use thin foil from aluminium baking dish. Ii cuts into slices with plain scissors and is more safe and quick.
I like all the tag options mentioned. For myself I like using the thicker aluminum window blinds. One advantage of the thinner metal such as the coke cans is that they can be easily marked with a pen.
