How To Read a Plant Tag
Plant tags come in all shapes and sizes, from a plastic spike poked into the soil or stapled to the side of a plastic plant pot to a plastic tag tied to the trunk of a woody shrub. They provide the plant’s name and photo, and information about what conditions the plant needs to grow well. Tags will usually also provide information on plant care and maintenance, using a combination of text and symbols.
The first thing to look for is the plant’s name, which is shown in two different ways: First, there’s the scientific name in Latin, usually two words written in italics. Then there will be a common name – or names – in English. While the common names are easier to remember, they can be confusing because sometimes one plant has more than one common name, or worse, the same common name is occasionally given to two different plants.
The plant’s scientific name will have two, sometimes three, parts to it, and just like a person’s first, middle, and last names, it’s important to note the whole Latin plant name so you know exactly what plant it is. You’ll need this information when you want to look up more details about the plant once you add it to your indoor plant collection.
In addition to a plant’s name, plant tags will provide some or all of the following information:
- Light (often illustrated with sun symbol): How many hours of sunlight does the plant need each day? On tropical houseplant tags, sunlight is described as direct sun or bright indirect light.
- Watering (often illustrated with a raindrop or watering can symbol): How much water does the plant need; does it like its soil to dry out between watering or stay consistently moist
- Humidity: Does the plant need high humidity conditions or prefer dry air
- Soil type: Does the plant need a soil that drains well (sandy soil) or can it tolerate one that holds a lot of moisture (clay soil). For houseplants, should the soil contain more sand or more compost than the average potting soil; does the plant need a special blend (e.g. orchid mix or cactus blend).
- Fertilizer: What sort of fertilizer does the plant need? What ratio of different nutrients (N-P-K), and how often should fertilizer be applied
- Plant Size (often illustrated with vertical/horizontal arrows): This will say how tall and wide – on average – the plant will get when it reaches maturity
- Repotting: How often and when do you need to repot the plant; does it grow best when it’s a little pot-bound
- Toxicity: Is the plant toxic to pets or people? Does it have a sap that can irritate the skin?
The amount of information on a plant tag will vary from one supplier to the next, and is sometimes rather scant on tropical houseplants. So always keep the plant tag, or make a note of the plant’s Latin name, in case you need to do some more research.
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