Marking Pens

[brownrexx]

I use regular black Sharpie markers on plastic garden markers and they last all season without fading. I write over them the following year.

However a poster on our Organic Gardening Community forum just posted today that Sharpie makes a marker for signs that lasts longer. She said that it is sold in the department where they sell yard sale signs at WalMart, HD, Lowe's, etc.

I have not used one myself.

[kygreg]

Add me to the pencil vote; prefer carpenter's pencil available at Lowe's or Home Depot Etc. I use popsicle sticks; probably would not work on plastic.

[StephenCoote]

I use a pencil. I prefer a softer lead... say 4B or 6B as these seem to leave a darker line.

I make labels from plastic food containers. These have to be light-colored so that the pencil mark can be seen on them. I typically use polypropylene containers that you might buy a kilogram of honey or yoghurt in. I've also used transparent polythene milk bottles, but I prefer the polypropylene.

I have found that the pencil will generally just slide over the plastic and not leave a decent mark. To make the pencil 'stick' to the plastic, I rough up the surface of the plastic with fine, clean sandpaper.

Using sharp scissors (or tinsnips) I cut the rim off the plastic container, then I cut around the base to remove the bottom.

This will leave me with a 'cylinder' of plastic. I make a cut vertically up the cylinder. The cylinder can then be unrolled to make a sheet of plastic. I then roughen up the unprinted side of the plastic with the sandpaper, taking care to move the paper in all directions to make a dense scratch pattern. I've found it best not to use some black abrasive papers as these can sometimes make the plastic look a bit dirty.

After the sanding is done, I wipe and shake the plastic to get rid of any grit or dust. I then cut the plastic to make labels.

I was once told that there is no known solvent for graphite, and I've never noticed it fading... so it is a fairly permanent sort of a substance. It will rub off a surface, but I have found that these labels stay legible for a very long time.

Here is picture of a typical label that I might use. The pencil shown is a solid graphite artist's pencil, but any soft standard pencil will do the job.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Last year I used regular Sharpie on popsicle sticks. I stuck them in the starter pots with the itty bitty seedlings and those sticks followed each plant into the garden. They never faded. (My backup system was a garden map).

Nan

[brownrexx]

I also think that pencil would work well but I am not a big fan of wood sticks. Possibly because my soil stays more moist than in some areas of the country but when I used them in my seedling cups the bottom of the sticks just above the soil got all fuzzy with mold and outside in the garden they rotted off at the soil line in about a month. Now I stick with plastic garden markers and Sharpie markers. My garden markers last for years and years. They are a lot heavier duty than mini blind slats and I like them better for outdoor use.

[GrowingCoastal]

Nan, that has never worked for me unless I turned the stick with writing facing the pot wall, away from the sun rays.

[Nan_PA_6b]

Originally Posted by GrowingCoastal

Nan, that has never worked for me unless I turned the stick with writing facing the pot wall, away from the sun rays.

Hmmm... maybe it means Mum's garden is too shady....

Nan

[TC_Manhattan]

My local Walmart sells Sharpies EXTREME. They're two to a pack for just under $5, in black.
I used them last summer on markers cut from vinyl mini-blinds, and they did remain legible all season long in full sun all day.

They are with the pen display in school/office supply section.

[Gardeneer]

I buy Sharpie permanent, two for a Dollar at Dollar Tree. They are good on things like popsicle sticks. They absorb the ink and won't fade away.

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

Printer ink and paper, 24 point font, Times New Roman. I made these last year. Everyone told me they would fade - they didn't.

Was it a laser printer or an inkjet?

[greenthumbomaha]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I use these:

Reviewing the options for the coming season. These are available from Harris Seeds. Are they still a leading contender?

Would one pen last , say for writing 1000 labels or would I need two - just sayin'

- Lisa

[rhines81]

I put a small strip of clear shipping tape over the text and it seals it from the environment. Ball point pen, sharpie, ink-jet, doesn't matter.

[greenthumbomaha]

Originally Posted by rhines81

I put a small strip of clear shipping tape over the text and it seals it from the environment. Ball point pen, sharpie, ink-jet, doesn't matter.

Can't hurt to try that!

Still, I am surprised that the tape doesn't come off in the rain. I tried using duct tape for an auto mirror and it came off in two weeks. Loctite didn't work either , not did jweld. Gave in and spent $165 on a new one.

-Lisa

[clkeiper]

Pencil is all we used in the greenhouse I worked in. Yes it does work.

the gardenline indelible marker... yes it does work

the sharpie extreme ... yes it does work

and my favorite and most available is.....

Milwaukee contractor grade permanent marker. buy them at lowes or home depot in the contractors section. they are red with a black cap.

[b54red]

I finally gave up on the Sharpies for use in the garden. I bought a few paint markers in different colors and tried them last year. I used them to mark all my plants with wide surveyors bright orange tape which was tied above the plants on the top of my conduit racks. They were exposed to the sun and rain the whole season and were clearly readable all season so I didn't have to make new markers midway through the summer. The true test was some of my bell peppers which went out in the garden in March and were not removed until November. I have never had labels last that long and still be legible. I haven't tried the Sharpie Extreme but since it costs more than the cheap paint markers I think I will stick with them.

Bill