Thanks Glenn. To follow up on the above, I decided to try the cable tie method linked above and I just got done tagging about 200 trees. I used 8" UV-stabilized cable ties and tried two kinds of tagging material. One is I got some 5mil copper foil in a 3" wide roll and cut off 1" pieces. Other is I used those Coles aluminum tags in boxes of 50. The copper is better but it averages out to about 35 cents a tag and the Coles tags you can get for about a dime apiece. Aluminum scrap would work even better. The cable ties are about a penny apiece so all the cost is in the tag. I punched a hole with a hole punch in the foil on a side on the long way, so the tags hang side to side so you don't need to grab them to read them. I put them on trees using a staple gun loaded with 1/2" staples. I found it was better to use two staples about 1/4"-1/2" apart to keep the cable ties from rotating. The only problem I had was the staple would occasionally crack the cable tie. Maybe I should have gotten slightly longer ties, like 1', just to get thicker ones. I first was using 1/4" staples but those guys were cracking the ties all the time since they were hitting so hard; the 1/2" staples are not striking with such force since most of the stapler energy is used to get the staple in. Overall I would say the biggest doubt I have is on the strength of the cable ties giving how they are cracking, but we will see. If they start failing I will replace with wire. One nice thing about using the aluminum tags is first you can use the tag with the little wire to mark the graft, and when it gets too big for that take it off, punch a hole, and re-attach the same label with a cable tie; no need to create a new tag. Some of my new grafts I could use a cable tie on already since they topworked a fat trunk. Scott

I tried the wires, and went back to paper tags. Use a pencil, it does not fade, I only have 2 or 3 tags a year that I can't read. The reason I didn't like the wires was I couldn't tell what the cross was when I was harvesting the seed, then I had to sit down with my wire log and sort everything out. When I harvest using tags I can write the cross on the envelope and I'm skipping a step. The other thing I didn't find any fun was straightening out and sorting all the wires so I could use them again. The plastic bread bag tags are nice but, I cliped off a couple of blooms trying to put them on, they do not work well on some scapes when the buds are close together.

Thanks Urlee, it just seems like mine are always so much bigger than everyone else. PSP X must have default at 200, that is why I never think to check it. I use the sizes the tut calls for in pixels also, but mine are usually larger and I don't want to be taking up too much space. Carol

H B - that is very generous of you. I will talk to my Mom and show her all of these ideas and see what she thinks. It makes me sad, how much she misses out on what's going on around her, but i'm also happy that her hearing loss can be helped well with these hearing aids. I have been developing hearing loss, myself. I told her I'm going to try hers when she gets them and see what I've been missing. When I had my practice, in-the-ear and in-the-canal hearing aids were "the thing" because no one wanted the bulky BTE's - I only fit behind-the-ear instruments to severely impaired losses because they had more power without feedback. Before computers, I had to open a flap on the back of the device and used a miniscule screwdriver to change the settings. Call me a dinosaur. Now, the BTE's are so slim and sleek and are so programmable there's no reason to wear ITE's. They are prone to so much trouble because of earwax and moisture. I can't even wear earbuds without irritation - who needs a bulky thing in their ear??