cleo

LOL!

I had the same thing happen, only to toothpicks that I'd taped the plant name to and stuck in (very small) Jiffy pellets used to start some peppers. Eventually the toothpick AND the taped name were covered with some kind of fuzzy growth, though it didn't extend to the Jiffy pellet. So I transplanted most of them into styrofoam cups that I could write on and waited for them to germinate there. The plants that germinated haven't been negatively affected, but I gotta' agree -- plastic has to be better!

I had that happen 2 years ago with Tongue depressors...I dont know if it would have harmed my seedlings or not, but to be safe I use cut up window blind slats for markers now. I just dont trust rampant and sneaky mold LOL!

I suspect this is the same kind of fuzzy growth that can occur on the soil of seedlings, which isn't harmful. It happens under humid conditions, and when the area is dry, it gives up the ghost.

As the link below shows, GardenWeb isn't the only place where the tendency of wooden labels and mold to go hand in hand is discussed.

Here is a link that might be useful: Popsicle Sticks and Mold

I use non-toxic metallic shapries and write on the sides of the pots (the silver stands out well on black). Now worries about tags.

I make a layout map before planting and then adjust (if needed) as I plant.

metallic sharpies run $1.78 for 2 at Target.

I use either the bought plastic markers with one pointed end and write on them with pencil, which can be scrubbed off with cleanser and reused, or I cut a plastic milk bottle up into about 60 strips and write on them with a sharpie- free labels!

I use plastic pot tags, write small on the end and then just snap the writing off rather than erase/scrub the next year.

Never bothered my plants.

I am reusing the milk jugs that I used to 'pot up' my tomato plants. Cut the name/info from the jug and used on the trellis to label the tomato plant, then cut the rest of the jug up into strips for plant labels for my other plants...used a Sharpie to mark them. Hoping this works.

Peggy

I gave up on wood awhile back. The mold doesn't concern me much but the wood discolors and the marker fades and the label info is impossible to read. I've switched to cut up plastic mini blinds with a Sharpie marker or pencil. The Sharpie fades slowly, the pencil lasts but is harder for me to see. Brands other than Sharpie fades very quickly. If I order any seeds I'm getting a garden marker which hopefully will not fade at all. But this year I found most everything I wanted locally or through trade so no garden marker yet.

I strip 3/8 inch thick pieces from a 1x4 with my table saw and then cut them 14 inches long. Plenty of room to write and tall enough to not step on when you're not paying attention to what you're doing. :-0

I used popsicle sticks last year and this year, never had problems. I tear
them in half and put them in my peat pellets. Some get a little bluish fuzz,
but I have to pot them up anyway. I discard them and write on the dizzie
cups.