Last year I used the wooden stakes from Lee Valley, both short and long. Short when they were in their 4" pots, and long when they went into the beds. I used permanent markers to write on them, and have to say that many did not survive the season. I'm going to try a burning thingy-ma-bob this year.

I will say, however, that my main supplier writes directly on the tubers and I've always been able to read it come the following fall...so there's a lot to be said for that. I just haven't figured out what they used (or how they wrote so nicely on such a rough surface!)

Perhaps someone else can explain how that occurs.

Cheers,
Russ

Sharpies work great on dry tuber skins though like Russ said the rough nubby tubers are tough to write neatly on. If you lose your tag in the season or during digging up, having the name on the mother tuber is a blessing.

I use plastic tags hung on stakes with a twist tie. That tag can move from stake to tuber clump in the fall and be reused. They are soon hidden by flowers or foliage and I'm not one to worry about esthetics, so the tags don't bother me in the least. Black and brown sharpie inks hold up best on labels in sun for me, but recheck them monthly or write in plain old pencil first, sharpie over. I like the Sharpies for ease of seeing at a distance, pencil alone is too light for me, but pencil alone would work too. Some people toss a tag along with the tuber into the planting hole, again, for ID at time of digging.

On damp tubers in the fall, get Sanford No Blot Ink in a Pencil permanent pencils. I bought in bulk from a log home equipment site that has since gone under. Art supply stores or other online sources are options. They work very well, though make a permanent mess if pencil shavings or lead fall where you don't want them. Like on your lips or hands!

A lost identity in the dahlia bed is easily avoidable if one picks a couple labelling methods and uses them consistently. Usually.