what kind of white stakes .. are they shiny ... have you tried sandpapering them??

the paint pens is the best type of marker.. ergo ... why i am asking what you are writing one ...

would you consider a brothers ptouch label maker with the UV tape?? .. i have some of those labels on zinc plates going on 20 plus years ...

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=brothers+ptouch+label+maker&t=ffcm&ia=products

Agreed. I have paint pen writing on zinc plates that is closer to 30 than 20. At that age, you do have to examine it careful to see what it said, but it can still be figured out. Ten years ago, they were still extremely legible.

No, they are not shiny stake...rather matte. And no, I'd rather not invest in a label maker as it's just another 'small appliance' in my apartment and which would also require tape refills and perhaps batteries(?). I try to keep things very simple, so that's why I'd prefer just a good permanent marker.

Some of the public gardens and wholesale growers I've seen use light weight metal (perhaps aluminum?) written on with a sharp object, perhaps a ballpoint pen. I assume they have a softer surface under the metal since the tag is left with an indented marking.

#2 pencil? on a matte white plastic stake? Really? I never would have thought that pencil would have holding power with the weather, the soil, etc.! That sure would be easy! Tx!

I'll second #2 pencil. Decades ago I was cutting up leftover white vinyl siding into labels and writing with pencil on them. Just a few years ago I was digging at my parents and found one for a dogwood seedling I must have have planted in 1987. It's quite a tree now.

I put masking tape over the white plastic stakes and write on that. It lasts through Michigan snow.

In the case of a closely planted and maintained mixed perennial bed, covering some area, I don't believe it possible to keep plant identifications by relying on labelled stakes and the like, which are stuck in the ground. I have, however, seen that work well with a large and carefully ordered and maintained iris reference collection.

carbon has an half life of a couple million years ...

if the plastic does not accept such.. use some sand paper to roughen the surface ...

but the labels should be inserted so that the name is angled down.. so the elements dont physically wear it off ...

inserting the marked part int he ground.. removes that insult.. but pulling thme in an out.. is like sand paper ... and can rub it off ...

i also used to garbage pick mini blinds .... and make markers out of them ... but these days.. you can buy a small set at wallyworld for a few bucks ... and i have some marked with paint pens over 10 years old..

which simply brings me back to what plastic are you using ... could you snap a pic ..

a total fail safe would be plastic knives with a scratch all ... cant see the name at distance.. but it will be there for thousands of years ...

ken

I used plastic knives with Sharpie. The writing wore off by springtime and most of the knives snapped too.

Sharpies only seem to last a couple of months. That's why many people switch over to paint pens.

I've never been able to find a good surface for pencil. Pencils engrave zinc, which isn't what I want, are illegible on popsicle sticks, and have a hard time writing on many plastics.

I'm not sure why anyone thinks a photo is going to be meaningful but here goes. As I mentioned it's a matte stake...

it's not shiny