Gardening Terms
from A to Z
Getting started in gardening can be exciting and scary at the same time. The deeper you dive the more you'll see new phrases or practices. Here are some processes, terms and phrases below!
A
Annual: A plant that germinates, grows, produces seeds and dies in one growing season.
B
Bare Root: Plants that are purchased without soil around the roots. Fruit trees, some berries (such as strawberries), some trees and some perennials are sold this way. Bare root plants can be a cheaper way to purchase plants.
Biennial: A plant that completes its growth cycle for two seasons before dying.
Bolting: The process where a plant stops fruit or leaf production and focuses it's energy on creating seeds.
C
Chill Hours: The amount of hours a fruit tree/bush needs to be below 45°F (7°C), for proper fruit production. This makes sure that the tree is dormant for enough hours to prepare healthy buds, branches and leaves for the next season. Different varieties require different amounts of chill hours.
Clime(s): The climate in a particular region or area.
Coconut Coir/Fiber: Is the washed and dried brown 'hair' from the outside of a mature coconut. This is a growing medium often used in hydroponics and sold in compressed blocks. These compressed blocks expand when introduced to water. Coconut coir has great drainage and aeration but does not inherently have nutrients like soil. Coconut coir is often used for custom soil mixes/amendments and in hydroponics, where the needed nutrients are supplied by the treated water that is used.
Corking: The lines (stretchmarks) on peppers. This does not damage the pepper or indicate something is wrong. Some use it as a gauge for ripeness.
D
Direct Sow: Means casting/planting seeds straight into the garden/ground.
Drip Irrigation: The use of hoses with small holes to 'drip' water onto soil. It is a way to control the amount of water used to keep plants watered.
Drip Line: The area where water drips to the ground from a roof, tree or irrigation system. The dripline on a tree helps determine the widest your tree's canopy grows. This can also refer to small tubes with holes that drip water onto soil.
Drip Tape: Used in drip irrigation. These are flat tubes/lines used above or below ground to water crops. These are great for long rows of crops. Drip tape should be installed with the holes facing upward.
Dry Shelling Beans: Bean plants where only the seeds are desired for eating, either fresh or dried. Examples of these kinds of beans are cranberry, pinto, black, lima, kidney and more.
E
F
Foliar Spray: A spray used on plant leaves. These can be insecticides, fungicides or fertilizers.
Fungicide: A substance that can help treat, prevent and kill different molds (their spores), mildews, rusts and blights. Fungicides can come in powder, oil or liquid form. Neem oil is often used.
G
H
Hand Pollination: When a person takes a tool such as a brush or q-tip and uses the pollen from a male flower (or the anther part of the stamen) to pollinate the flower of a female flower (stigma).
Hardening off: The process of taking young transplants and gradually exposing them to outside conditions. This allows the plant to get used to the new environment. The major risk of not hardening off a transplant is shock. The plant will not be able to handle the new setting and die.
I
J
K
L
Leaf Mold: A type of compost/soil amendment made from decayed leaves. Decayed leaves add organic matter to the soil and non decayed leaves make a great mulch.
M
Micro-nutrients: These are the 7 plant nutrients/elements that are needed in small amounts for healthy plant growth and development. They are boron, zinc, manganese, iron, copper, molybdenum, and chlorine.
N
NPK: Stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. These are macro-nutrients. Nitrogen is responsible for leaf growth, Phosphorus is responsible for flower and fruit development and Potassium is for overall health and performance.
O
P
Patent/Patented: Some cultivars/varieties have been bred by institutions, professional growers, individuals or universities and have been registered with their country's patent office. Patented plants involve laws that restrict or involve licensing terms for the sale or resale of their creation. These rules apply to retail suppliers as well as home gardeners.
Perennial: A plant that returns season after season.
Perlite: A soil amendment that is used for soil aeration and drainage. Perlite is volcanic glass that has been heated to 1000 degrees to expand its size.
Poly-embryonic seed: A seed that contains multiple embryo's that grow to be clones of the original plant. This term is often used when speaking on mango propagation. The opposite term for a seed taht does not contain multiple embryo's is mono-embryonic. (A seed with one embryo that isn't a clone of the mother plant)
Pruning: The process of clipping off dead branches/foliage or creating a shape for a plant that is helpful for growth and health.
Pulp pot: A plant pot made of fiber, paper pulp or other biodegradable materials that will break down in soil. Some plants are sensitive to transplanting. Pulp pots are made to be planted directly into the ground so that the roots of the plant are not disturbed. The roots will eventually grow through the pot and settle.
Q
R
Root Rot: This is a fungal infection that softens roots and turns them brown. Yellow leaves, poor plant growth and canopy thinning are signs. Poorly drained or over-watered soils are the main cause.
S
Scarify: The process of lightly scarring/sanding/puncturing a thick seed's outer shell to help with germination.
Seed Saving: Taking the seeds from a mature fruit/pod and saving for another growing season. Different seeds require different methods of saving or germination.
Seed Swap: An event where gardeners come and share/swap seeds with one another. It's a great way to meet fellow gardeners, learn new things and try new varieties.
Self Pollinated/Self Pollinating: Blossoms that do not need another plant to set fruit or create viable seed.
Self Seed: When a plant goes through its life cycle and releases its seed to replicate itself the next growing season.
Skin Set: A term used when harvesting potato crops. It is used when the skin on a potato doesn't rub off easily. The skin has set.
Slipskin: the type of grape in where the skin slips easily from the pulp. Grapes with skin that are not easy to remove are called Non-slipskin.
Soil amendments: Amendments are things that are added to soil to create an ideal soil structure. Common amendments are vermiculite, perlite, worm castings and compost.
Soil compaction: This is when soil particles are pressed tightly together making the pores (spaces in-between particles) smaller. Compaction makes it harder for water to seep into and drain out of soil.
Succession planting: Planting a crop weeks apart to extend the harvesting season. Example: Instead of planting 8 rows of green beans and harvesting them all at once, you plant 4 rows of green beans and 2 weeks later plant another row.
T
Topping (Pepper Plants): This is when a pepper plant's main stem is pruned/cut to encourage a bushy growing habit. This causes the dormant buds where the stem and leaf meet, to grow into new stems.
Transplant(s)/Transplanting: A plant is a transplant when it is moved from one locations/spot to another. Transplanting is the term used when plants that are grown inside are moved outside.
U
V
Vericompost/Vericomposting: Is the practice of using worms to create compost, worm castings and compost tea. The worms break down matter, aerate the soil, and leave behind fertilizing worm castings (manure).
Viable: A seed that has the ability to grow. A seed that can be germinated.
W
Whip: A young tree around 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in diameter that has no branches. It often looks like a stick. Whips can vary in height depending on it's age. Whips will eventually create branches to form a tree.