Every Orchevo tag ships with a 316 stainless ball chain and a connector you can open by hand. The tag is the easy part. The loop is what needs a minute of thought, because a branch keeps growing and a loop does not.
Three rules for hanging a tree tag, the two inch slack test, and a straight answer to the question growers ask most: will this cut into my tree?
- Leave at least 2" of slack
Close the loop with a minimum of two inches, about five centimetres, of play between chain and branch. The chain is cut long on purpose. A loose loop can swing. A snug loop can only bite.
- Move it before it gets tight
The chain cannot be made longer, so when the slack drops toward two inches, open the connector and re-hang the tag on a younger, thinner branch. Thirty seconds per tree, at the same time you prune.
The one fact
Any closed loop will girdle a growing branch
Wire, string, zip tie, chain, tape, even the plastic label that came with the tree: a loop that fits today is tight in three seasons and cutting in after five. Girdling means the bark and the living layer under it are squeezed until sap stops moving past that point. The branch beyond it weakens, then dies.
The good news: this is easy to stay ahead of. The connector opens by hand, so when a branch has grown into its slack you unclip the tag and hang it on a younger branch. A minute per tree at pruning time, or a few minutes a year for a whole orchard row, and the chain never comes close to marking the bark.
Rule of thumb: check every hanging tree tag when you prune. If less than two inches of slack is left between chain and branch, move the tag to a smaller branch. The chain is a fixed length, so moving it, not stretching it, is the adjustment.
Where to hang it
Lateral branch, never the trunk
Pick a side branch you can reach from the ground. The trunk and the central leader thicken fastest and matter most. A side branch grows slower, and if the worst happens you lose a branch, not a tree.
Choose a clean length of branch without a fork for the chain to rub against, and attach the plant tag where you will see it from the path rather than deep inside the canopy.
Why two holes
Thread both holes and the tag hangs flat
Run the chain through both holes and the tag becomes a small hammock. It faces outward, it does not spin in wind, and the load is shared by two edges instead of one.
It is also the hang that rubs the branch least, because the tag stops swinging on a single point. Either way, the chain never goes through a hole and around the branch in one tight pass. Leave it loose, whichever hang you choose.
If you find one biting
Move it, do not try to widen it
If bark has begun to swell around a loop, do not try to open the loop out in place. The chain is a fixed length and cannot be let out. Open the connector, take the chain off, and re-hang the tag on a smaller branch where it has at least two inches of slack again.
A shallow ring that has not gone all the way round usually heals over a season or two. A ring that goes all the way round means that branch is on borrowed time. Tag the next branch up, and prune the damaged one when it fails.
Questions growers ask
Before you hang the first one
How do you attach a tag to a fruit tree?
Thread the ball chain through both holes in the tag, pass it around a lateral branch, and close the connector leaving at least two inches of slack. No tools, and nothing goes into the wood, so there is nothing to work loose or rot.
Will the chain damage the tree?
Not if the loop stays loose. Damage comes from a loop that stops being loose, which is why the connector opens and why we ask you to check it when you prune.
How loose is loose enough?
A minimum of two inches of slack between chain and branch. If you are choosing between two bead positions, take the looser one.
Trunk or branch?
Branch. Always a lateral you can reach, never the trunk or the central leader.
What about potted figs and citrus?
Same rules, but the branches are smaller, so check the loop yearly rather than every second year. Many growers hang a second tag on the pot rim so the name survives repotting.
Windy site: will the tag chafe the bark?
Use the two hole hang so the tag cannot spin, and pick a length of branch without a fork for the chain to rub against. A bead chain is gentler on bark than wire because the beads roll instead of sawing.
Sprays, fertiliser, coastal air?
316L stainless is the grade chosen for exactly that, and the chain is 316 as well. Rinse it only if you want it shiny.
I have a whole orchard. Is checking them all realistic?
It rides along with pruning. You are already at every tree once a year, and the check takes seconds: if less than two inches of slack is left, move that tag out to a thinner branch. Tagging a whole orchard at once? You can upload the list as a spreadsheet.
Ready to name the trees?
Three lines of your text, engraved into 316L stainless. Every engraved tree tag ships with its ball chain and connector.