Home : Plant markers - Use plastic knives as plant markers

Plant markers - Use plastic knives as plant markers

Instead of marking rows with the traditional empty seed packets on stakes, make far more durable labels out of plastic picnic knives. Use the plain white kind; their blades offer a good flat surface for inscriptions. Record the plant variety and planting date with an indelible marker; then push the knife, handle downwards, into the soil at the head of the row.

reply to garden tip

Comments by: Cheryl from Wisconsin Jun 14, 2009

this is a great tip. Almost every frugal person has plastic cutlery stuffed away for future use, and these markers are easy to see! Thank you.

Maybe

Comments by: Adriano from Ireland Jun 12, 2009

If you have spare knifes around. But buying then for the solo pupurse of labling is not environment friendly. I think a better solution is use empty milk plastic bottles, cut then into shape and reuse them. Not only it saves you time to go to the recycle centre but saves you money as well.

Excellent suggeston

Comments by: Sita from London, UK Mar 29, 2009

I've just run out of plant labels and was hunting around looking for some more - plastic knives are an inspired suggestion.

Maybe?

Comments by: Carol from NC Mar 22, 2009

I've not tried yet but...will permanent marker be permanent on the slippery surface? Or should I give it a rub over with sandpaper first? TipKing says: A rougher surface would hold the ink batter. That is quite a good idea!

Brilliant Idea !!

Comments by: Sheila from UK Aug 11, 2008

What a fantastic idea. I have been looking at the price of plastic labels as we have just put over 100 plants into a new flower bed, and there is still loads of space left. As I need at least 100 and most likely many more, the cost was getting silly. As I can pick up hundreds of plastic knives at the Pound shop or the warehouse clearance store or the market, this is an inspired tip. The fact that they are sufficiently pointed to make it possible to hide them within established plants makes it even more useful. I have never liked to see obvious labelling but you need to know where your little treasures are once they have died back for the winter. I have found to my cost, if you don't, they get dug up in the over zealous winter clean up. Thank you Richard.