Land Smart Resources

By Glenn Houts, rural land owner, St. Clair County, Alabama

When you own a large amount of property, keeping your property signs up and visible can be a real headache.  For example, let’s say they’re made out of aluminum.  You go out there and put your signs up and pretty soon, before you realize it, the tree has grown and most of your signs have popped off, laying on the ground.  Or, the wind whips them around, catching the edges during one of those rowdy, southern thunderstorms and they’re all bent, twisted, or torn.  And your prized private property and no trespassing signs are scattered over your property.

Here’s what you do: get yourself some of those poly car tags – like the ones you see on the front of cars – you     can order them or buy them locally and have them silk printed like you want them.  Now, get a bucket of three inch roofing nails – you know, the galvanized nails with the big flat heads – not a 16 penny nail.

Then you bow the sign like the curvature of the tree trunk (because the poly tag is flexible) and nail those signs to the tree.  But – don’t drive those nails in all the way. Leave about 1 1/2 inches hanging out.  That gives the tree room to grow without popping your sign off the tree.  The tree will grow out to the end of the nail without disturbing the sign – the galvanized roofing nail won’t hurt the tree like a 16 penny nail will – and you’ve bought yourself five, to eight, maybe ten years of not replacing property signs.

Another thing, the screen printed poly signs don’t fade like the painted signs.  They stay bright, like a new penny.

You can make it easy for you and your neighbor while you’re at it.  Get them to paint their property lines one color; a you paint yours a different color – and now you can tell from a distance whose property line is where.  And you and your neighbor will get along just fine.

One other thing; even though it takes a bit longer – it’s worth it.  Take a step ladder with you so you can nail those signs just above a tall person’s reach from the ground so folks won’t be tempted to pull them down if they’ve strayed across the property line.

This is one of the easiest, less expensive, ways to clearly mark your property lines.  We even put our own custom messages on our property signs, stating whose property it is, etc.

Got some helpful hints you’d like to share?  Send them to: tbrick@LandSmartResources.com