Starting out with the plant adventure there will be a few jargons that would be unfamiliar and confusing. As we go down further in the research of gardening care and tips some terms and specifics might leave as stumped leaving quite a daunting experience.
Let’s not be discourage and learn, whether you’re a garden newbie or a pro this handy guide to the most common terms used in gardening would help to review the nuances of the trade.
Acidic
Refers to the soil, compost, or liquid with a pH between 0 and 7.0 (on a scale of 0.0-14.0).
Aeration/Aerate
Any method of loosening soil or compost to introduce air and improve drainage.
Aerial Roots
Roots that appear above ground
Alkaline
Refers to soil or liquid with a pH between 7.0 and 14 (on a scale of 0.0-14.0).
Annual
A plant that blooms, produces seed, and dies in one year.
Bareroot
A plant sold without a pot or soil around its roots
Biennial
A plant that completes its full life-cycle in two growing seasons. It produces leaves in the first and flowers in the second.
Biodegradable
Able to decompose or break down through natural bacterial or fungal action. Substances made of organic matter are biodegradable.
Beneficial Insect
An insect that benefits your garden by preying on pests, thereby controlling their population; examples include green lacewings, ladybugs and praying mantises
Bolt
A term used to describe a plant that has gone to seed prematurely.
Bone meal
A type of fertilizer made from animal bones. Finely ground composed of white or light gray bone adds phosphorus to the soil.
Bonsai
The Japanese word for growing miniature or ornamental trees
Botanic Garden
Plants on display for the public but being grown for scientific purposes
Botanical Name
A plant’s original name, usually Latin
Bud
Like a bulb, a flower or leaf forms from a growth on a plant
Bulb
The part of a plant from which roots grow
Chlorosis
When a plant’s leaves turn a yellowish color due to discoloration. There are a number of reasons this may happen, including nutrient deficiencies, over-watering, a lack of chlorophyll, or disease.
Chlorophyll
A plant’s pigment for absorbing sunlight
Compost
Completely decayed organic matter used for conditioning soil. It is dark, odourless, and rich in nutrients.
Compost Tea
A liquid fertilizer made by soaking compost in water to extract the nutrients; an aerator is often used to encourage the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the brew
Conifer
An evergreen, fast-growing tree
Cultivating
The process of breaking up the soil surface to prepare for planting. It improves soil aeration and promotes better water drainage, giving plants an improved soil environment in which to grow.
Cutting
A method of plant propagation that involves taking cuttings from a parent plant and placing them into a growing medium to produce new plants.
Dead Head
Removing dead flowers/ spent flowerheads, prolonging the bloom for up to several weeks promoting another round of flowers to emerge, or preventing the plan from going to seed.
Deciduous
Plants that lose their foliage during the winter months
Dividing
Separate plants from each other to increase individual growth and possibly grow more
Dormancy
A period of little or no growth.
Double Digging
Loosen layers of soil to allow more air in
Drainage
The ability for water to pass freely through the soil
Drip irrigation
Any type of irrigation in which the water drips out slowly at the base of individual plants
Dwarf
A plant that has been bred to be smaller than is typical for the species
Epiphyte
A plant that grows on the surface of another plant primarily for physical support not in a parasitic fashion. This species of plants can make good houseplants mainly due to their minimal water and soil requirements. Some best-known epiphytic plants include mosses, orchids, and bromeliads.
Ericaceous
A type of plant that prefers acidic soil and will not grow successfully in alkaline soils.
Evergreen
A plant that retains its foliage throughout the year.
Foliage
The leaves of a plant.
Fertilizer
An organic or synthetic nutrient added to the soil or the plant.
Foliar Fertilizing/ Foliar Feeding
A technique of feeding plants by applying liquid fertilizer directly to plant leaves.
Fungicides
Compounds that are used to prevent the spread of fungi in gardens and crops, can cause serious damage to plants.
Full Sun
Six or more hours of sunlight.
Germinate
When a seed starts to grow.
Graft
To splice two portions of a plant together so that they fuse into another plant to grow together as one piece
Growing Season
The time when plants can grow
Habit
Manner of growth; examples include upright, spreading, , dense, and open
Hardening off
Gradually acclimatizing plants that have been grown indoors, inside a greenhouse or under protection to outdoor conditions.
Hardiness
A plant’s ability to survive harsh growing conditions, namely cold and freezing temperatures, is referred to by its hardiness.
Heavy Soil
A soil that contains a high proportion of clay and is poorly drained.
Heat Tolerance
The ability to resist heat-triggered issues
Heavy Soil
Soil that is difficult for plants to grow in.
Hydroponics
Growing plants in conditions without any soil
Inoculant
A substance containing beneficial soil microbes
Invasive
Plants that spread aggressively
Iron Chelate
A soil amendment, both in organic or synthetic forms, that corrects chlorosis, a condition characterized by yellow leaves with green veins; iron chelate is available in both organic and synthetic forms
Kelp Meal
A soil amendment made from dried, ground seaweed
Leggy
Overly tall, stretched-out seedlings due to they’re search for better light as they lean towards the strongest light source.
Light Feeder
A type of plant that requires fewer nutrients than most other plants.
Loam
An ideal type of soil for growing food and plants. It has a balance of sand, silt, and clay particles, along with abundant organic matter and humus content
Long-Day
Plants that form flowers only during summer, when there are more than 12 hours of sun each day
Medium
The material plants grow in.
Microgreen
Young, leafy vegetables or herbs that are harvested just above the soil line when the plants have their first pair of leaves, called cotyledons, and possibly the just-developing true leaves.
Micronutrients
Also referred to as trace elements, these nutrients play minor, but essential roles in plant health; includes boron (B), chlorine (Cl), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), and zinc (Zn)
Mulch
The material that is used to protect the soil, prevent weeds from growing, and keep the soil moist.
Naturalized
Plants that have spread over a large area over time, whether by self-seeding or via creeping rhizomes
Nitrogen
The essential nutrient responsible for rapid green growth.
N-P-K:
An abbreviation for the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the three most important plant nutrients
Node
Points on a plant from which leaves grow
Organic Matter
Dead and decaying plant or animal tissues, including leaves, roots, manure, and the bodies of insects, earthworms, and microbes
Organic
A general term used for a type of gardening using no chemical or synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
Parasitic Plant
A plant that leaches its essential nutrients from a neighboring plant
Part Sun/Part Shade
3 to 6 hours of sunlight.
Peat Moss
Decomposed remains of plants that have collected over millennia at the bottom of northern bogs
Perennial
A plant that lives year after year
Perlite
A volcanic mineral that has been heated, causing it to puff up; A common ingredient in potting soil due to its exceptional water and air holding capacity
pH
A scale from 0-14 that explains the degree of acidity or alkalinity of the water or soil.
Phosphorus
An essential nutrient involved in photosynthesis and various metabolic functions
Pinch Back
Removing the tip of a growing stem, whether with the fingers or hand pruners; this stimulates branching further down.
Potassium
An essential nutrient involved in various metabolic functions in plants
Potting Up
The act of transferring a plant into a larger pot
Propagation
The process of growing new plants through any variety of methods, including from seed, cuttings, grafts, or other plant parts.
Pruning
Cutting away undesired parts of a plant for growth or aesthetics
Rhizome
A fleshy root that grows laterally on or near the surface of the soil.
Rootbound
A plant whose roots have grown into a tight mass inside of a pot, usually when the plant has outgrown the pot size.
Rooting Hormone
Substances that help stimulate root growth on fresh cuttings during the propagation process
Runner
Grows from a plant’s base
Shoot
A growth from the primary stem
Side Shooting
Growing from the side of the stem, often used with plants that bear fruit
Slow-Release Fertilizer
A granular fertilizer that will slowly degrade in the soil to release nutrients over time.
Soil Amendment
Any substance added to a growing area to improve soil properting, increase the health, nutrients content, moisture retention, or soil structure.
South-Facing
A south-facing garden is an ideal choice to maximize sun exposure in all seasons and throughout the day.
Sow
The act of planting seeds.
Staking
Providing sturdy support for a plant by driving wood into the ground next to it
Terracotta
A type of clay that is often incorporated into decorative garden features
Top dressing
Applying fertilizers or soil amendment after seeding, transplanting, or once the crop has been established.
Transplanting
Relocating a plant to a different growing space.
Variegated
A species that has naturally formed a unique characteristic. Plants with multi-colored foliage
Vermiculite
Like perlite, it is a common ingredient in potting soil due to its exceptional water and air-holding capacity.
Vermicomposting
Composting with worms.
Waterlogged
Saturated in a volume of water.
Wet Feet
The condition of having waterlogged soil around the roots of a plant; contributes to fungal disease in most crops and can kill plants outright.
Wilt
When unsuitable weather conditions cause leaves to wither
Worm Castings
The excrement of earthworms used for vermicomposting.