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There's tags and there's tags.

14 years ago

How come so many great vendors use tags that simply suck. I have plants dating back to 1996 and have some experience with the tags that come with them.

Andy's is the prime example of great plants with lousy tags. I have many of his plants and have replaced most of his tags which become brittle, break and also fade. His plants get a 10 out of 10, his tags no more than a 2.

Santa Barbara Orchid Estates has the best tags in my collection some of them 10 years old and neither brittle nor faded. 10 out of 10 for both.

Cal Orchids 10 out of 10 for plants, 5 out of 10 for tags.

I make my own tags out of discarded venetian blinds which I cut to 5" lengths. They end up with sharp corners which need to be rounded off but then along with graphite pencil markings you have a tag for the ages. I have some 10 years old which are still like new. I used industrial grade marker pens but have found that they also fade. Before the venetian blinds I used to buy tags from various sources and find that most don't last. After a number of years they become brittle and break.

Comments--.

Nick

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Comments (3)

terpguy
14 years ago
They are cheaper, plain and simple. Anything to cut down on overhead! My old job switched from the solid plastic tags to the flimsy quasi-paper tags to save money.
orchidnick
Original Author
14 years ago
In all fairness, Andy's tags are far from cheap. An elaborate system creates them and they contain a wealth of useful information. It's not until many years down the road that they break off and fade. Quite possibly by now he has changed the material they are made off. Unless one has had a plant for 10 years, one is really not in a position to critizese or praise the logevity of the tag.

Nick
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jowben1
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I invested about $40, and got a Brother P-Touch machine, and print my own tags, which I expect to last "forever". The biggest drawback, is $23+ for a 26' roll of tape.They are neat, readable, and availa ble in a variety of colors.

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