The venetian blind I used was a fairly thick one for vertical blinds. I made a hole in one end with a hole punch and cut a slit on one side of the hole so that I could bend it open to enclose the stem below the flower. As you know, a hole punch actually makes a small hole (only about 6 mm in diameter) and on those roses with thick stems it was difficult to get the tags on. Since the peduncle is somewhat fragile, do you think I destroyed most of this year’s potential just by tagging? If so, any suggestions for improvement in making tags would be appreciated. Many thanks, Linda Sun
Linda,
the best thing you can do is purchase String Tags, the little paper tags strung on fine white string. You can buy a box of 1000 at most Office Supply places for about 12 or 14 bucks. The string will not damage the peduncles, which as you now know are indeed sensitive to physical damage. I used to use the plastic closures that are used on the ends of bread bags years ago, and these often ended up damaging the forming hip. Do youself a favor and get the stringed paper tags. Use pencil to write on them; it won’t fade before harvest time.
Paul
I have used masking tape and a permanent paint pen to mark my crosses. The tape is well tolerated and using a paint pen prevents the fading that occurs with regular felt markers like “Sharpie” pens.You can get paint markers at any craft store in a variety of colors and tip types.
I have found hips a year later that I forgot to harvest and both the tape nad the writing were intact.
Randy
I use regular dental floss to hold the tags. I make the tags out of the plastic of bagged soil and write in ball point ben. I cover it with some clear tape (the very wide shiny type used in packaging) and cover it to protect it from fading. It fades slightly, but remains clear until the end of the season. I think your problem maybe that you are touching the hips. Usually they abort if you tamper them often.
Keep trying I am sure you can succeed in the future. Your mistakes serve as steps to a higher level if you build upon them. All of us have made mistakes at one time or another.
I use the masking tape/paint markers to mark hips. This year I am using the Blue removable masking tape on some crosses and it seems to be holding up well.
Good Luck and Happy Roseing