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Labels

This article first appeared on the Discussion Forum
Correct labelling is not just a problem for dianthus growers, but it is particularly annoying when your plants lose their means of identification and varieties you have been nurturing for years turn out not to be what you thought they were! It is all to easy to put plants or cuttings in some sort of order thinking you will remember what is what, only to get in a complete muddle a few months later.

The only solution is to clearly label each plant. Nowadays I use 4” plastic labels which particularly if bought in boxes of 1000 are not too expensive. See “Useful Suppliers”. (It is amazing how quickly they get used up). Different colours can be useful for different years; to clearly identify stock plants; duplicate plants; or to mark spray carnations which do not need disbudding. If on a budget, perfectly acceptable labels can be made from old plastic cream or yoghurt cartons. They are cut into strips with scissors with either a point or slanting cut at the end. (I always think re-using is much more environmentally friendly than recycling!) Both can be reused by rubbing the surface with some steel wool although the proprietary ones with a roughened surface are more difficult to clean off. (As a child I used to use the wooden sticks from ice lollys to label plants. However they tend to rot off and it is difficult to eat enough for a regular supply).

Next one has to consider what to write with. It is essential to use something permanent otherwise after a few weeks one is left staring at a white stick. This is also true for bought plants. I always relabel new plants having over the years often found the labels supplied fade. A permanent ultra violet stable felt tip pen is suitable. However I always use an HB pencil. (I am reminded of the millions of dollars the Americans spent to develop a ball point pen to write in space: – the Russians simply gave their astronauts pencils).

Labels can simply be pushed into the pots but there is always the risk of them becoming dislodged by vigorous watering, small animals or large animals in the form of young children trying to be helpful. For labels with a small hole at one end they can be fixed to the top of the supporting cane with a twist of thin wire. This has the added benefit that one can read the label without bending down (particularly helpful as one gets older). Twist the wire first round the label then secure round the cane.

Despite this advice I still find things incorrectly labelled but over the years I am getting better!

James