What's your labeling system?

I currently write on the pots with paint markers since most of my figs are in pots.

For my trees or grafts, I do the following.

When I initially graft trees, I write the variety on the scion with a garden marker as I prep the scion (label, cut, wrap with parafilm. I don't make labels at the time of the graft anymore because its a lot of work to keep to make all the tags (usually 2 grafts per variety) and to keep them sorted with the scions. Sometimes grafts fail and it's more trash I need to get rid of. It's also faster to have a tray of grafts already prepped scions and I can just go out there and graft without labeling anything.

I will use labels after the grafts succeed. I've used PVC tree labels from amazon but those are junk. They break after 1 year in the sun.
I just recently ordered polyethene tree tags, supposedly they are the softer ones from nurseries that should last years.

I also have the embossed tree tags from amazon that I use for main trees or major grafts that will produce fruit. But these take time to make indoors. I emboss them with a pen at my desk and color them in with a paint marker so they are legible. Its really hard to read when it's only embossed. I'll label both sides and use a longer metal wire than the one included with the tags. I'll put it on the tree and do a figure 8 with the wire so there's extra slack but is taken up, sort of like an electrical service loop. As the branch grows, I don't have to worry about it girdling the tree until it gets really big, the figure 8 should release and give it some slack.

I've considered machine labeling via brother label printers but they seem like more work. I have too many grafts and trees to label all of them using a machine.
 

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I’m not sure I’d like having to look up the trees every time to know what they were. I guess over time you might remember some but if many trees I couldn’t do it. Maybe as a second form of identification.
 
Beabchasingizz said:
Youtuber chili chump does this with his chili plants. But he uses numbered QR labels that he scans. It didn't make sense for my case as I don't have hundreds of new pepper plants each year. I find it a hassle to take my phone out during gardening.
Click to expand...
If anyone is interested in putting QR codes on their fig tree label/name tags, I have a friend that is setting up his business and he told me that he can do the QR codes with a laser. He should be opened in a month or two. I will post a link once it's all ready to go because he will be able to do all kinds of label/name tags. He is a retired army buddy of mine.
 
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