| Acidic soil |
A soil with a pH lower than
7.0 is an acid soil. See
pH below |
| Aerate |
Loosening soil to
increase water penetration often with a garden fork |
| Alkaline soil |
A soil with a pH higher than
7.0 is an alkaline soil. See
pH below |
| Annuals |
Plants whose life cycle lasts
one year - from sowing to blooming to seeding then dying |
| Balanced fertilizer |
Plant food which contains a
balance of all three primary elements i.e. nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium |
| Bare root |
Plants sold which have had all
of the soil removed from their roots |
| Biennial |
A plant which
lives two years, usually producing flowers and seed in the
second year |
| Branch, a |
One of the main thicker stems
on a tree which grows directly from the main stem (leader) |
| Bud |
Early stages of development of
a flower or shoot |
|
Bush (trained) |
A type of tree form which
consists of a very short bare stem with an open canopy of
branches and laterals, grown free-standing |
| Cane, fruit |
The sturdy growths of some
fruit such as raspberries, which bear the leaves and fruit |
| Canes, bamboo |
Sticks of various lengths made
of bamboo used for supporting or training plants and trees |
| Canopy (tree) |
The part of a tree above the
main trunk formed of branches and laterals |
| Chlorophyll |
The green pigment in leaves |
| Cluster leaves |
These are the small group of
leaves found at the base of laterals directly against the stem
(branch) |
|
Companion Planting |
The placing of different types
of plants in the same vicinity for beneficial purposes e.g.
certain types of flowers which will attract pollinating insects |
|
Compost |
A planting medium which is the
result of decomposed of organic matter. |
|
Cold frame |
A small
enclosure which is covered with glass or clear plastic, used to
create a greenhouse effect for young plants. |
| Cordon |
A type of tree form which
consists of one central stem and no branches |
| Crown |
The point where a plant's
roots and top growth join |
| Cultivar |
A cultivated variety or strain
of a plant produced by horticultural techniques and not normally
found in wild populations |
|
Cultivate |
The breaking up of soil
and removal of weeds in preparation for planting. |
| Cuttings |
A method of obtaining new
plants using sections of stems, roots or leaves from
existing plants - propagation |
| Damping off |
A fungus which usually affects
seedlings causing the stem to rot at soil level. |
| Disease |
A bacterial or fungal
infection which has a detrimental affect on a plant |
| Disiduous |
A plant which looses its
leaves for part of the year (usually in winter) |
| Dividing |
A method of obtaining new
plants by splitting up the roots of existing plants |
| Dormant |
The time in a plant's
life when growth slows or stops allowing the plant to rest |
|
Double digging |
Preparing the soil by
systematically digging an area, usually in trenches, to the depth of two shovels. |
| Double flower |
A flower with many overlapping
petals |
| Dwarfing Rootstock |
The part of a tree which has
the roots onto which scions of other trees are grafted in
order to produce a much smaller version of the original tree |
| Erosion |
The wearing or washing
away of soil usually referring to wind or water |
| Espalier
(trained) |
A type of tree form which
consists of tiers of fruit bearing branches trained on wires or
other supports |
| Evergreen |
A plant which never loses all
of its leaves |
|
Fan (trained) |
A type of tree form which
consists of fruit bearing branches trained on wires or other
supports which resembles a fan |
| Fertiliser |
Organic or inorganic plant
foods which may be either liquid or granular added to soil or
compost to improve the quality of plant
growth. |
| Foliar Feed |
Fertilizer applied in a
fine liquid
spray to a plants leaves |
| Forcing |
The process of hastening a
plants growth |
| Free Standing |
A tree or plant which is grown
in an open position as opposed to being against a wall or fence |
| Germinate |
The sprouting of a seed |
| Girdling |
The choking of a branch by a
wire or other material which has been tied to tightly to a
support |
| Grafting |
The joining of a short stem of
one plant onto the root stock of a different plant |
| Growing season |
The amount of time between the
average date of the last harsh frost in spring and the first
harsh frost in Autumn |
| Hardening off |
The process of gradually
acclimatising indoor grown plants to outdoor conditions |
| Hardy |
The ability of a plant to
survive low temperatures or frost without protection |
| Heading back |
Cutting an older branch or
stem back to a stub or twig |
| Heeling in |
The temporary placing of a plant
into a shallow trench and covering the roots with soil for
protection until it is ready to be planted in its permanent
position |
| Herbaceous |
Describes a plant with soft
rather than woody stems |
| Honeydew |
A sticky secretion produced by
sucking insects such as aphids |
| Humus |
The brown or black organic
part of the soil resulting from the partial decay of other
substances |
| Hybrid |
The offspring of two plants of
different species or variety created
when the pollen from one plant is used to pollinate a different variety resulting in a
plant which shows characteristics of both parent plants |
| Lateral, a |
A shoot which grows off a main
branch |
| Layering |
A method of propagation when a
long runner or slender stem of a plant is rooted whilst still attached to the
parent plant by securing it to the soil. Once rooted it is then
detached and forms a new plant |
| Leader |
The main stem of a tree or
plant from which smaller branches grow. In large trees the
bottom part of the leader becomes the trunk |
| Leaf mould |
Partially decomposed leaves used as a soil
conditioner |
| Loam |
A rich soil composed of clay,
sand and organic matter |
| Maiden |
A tree which is under 1 year
old. Usually just a single stem from which branches will form in
future years |
| Manure |
Organic matter
excreted by animals, which is used to enrich, condition and and
fertilise soil. |
| Microclimate |
The climate
within an area which may differ from the general surrounding
area usually due to influences such as windbreaks, hills,
structures or dips in the terrain |
| Micro nutrients |
Mineral elements which are
needed by some plants in very small quantities. Sometimes
referred to as "Trace Elements" |
| Mulch |
Loose material placed over
the soil to control weeds and conserve soil moisture such as
bark, manure or compost. Plastic sheeting can also be used in
certain circumstances |
| Node |
The part of a stem from which
a leaf or new branch starts to grow. |
| Perennial |
A non-woody plant which
lives for more than two years |
| Pest |
An insect or animal which is
detrimental to the well being of a plant |
| Pinching back |
The act of using the thumb and
forefinger to nip back the very tip of a branch or stem. |
| Pollination |
The transfer of pollen from
the stamen (male part of the flower) to the pistil
(female part of the flower), which results in the formation
of a seed which eventually becomes a fruit |
| Potting Compost |
A soil mixture designed for
use in containers. Usually light and sterile. |
| Propagation |
Methods of starting
new plants e.g. by sowing seed, division, cuttings,
layering |
| Pruning |
The cutting of
plants to remove dead or diseased wood, to control the
direction of growth or contain the size of a plant |
| pH |
The measure of
the amount of lime (calcium) contained in soil. A soil with
a pH lower than 7.0 is an acid soil: a soil pH higher than 7.0
is alkaline. |
|
Pyramid (trained) |
A type of tree form which
consists of a bare stem (trunk) with an open canopy of branches
and laterals which are trained into a pyramid shape (wide at the
bottom graduating to a point at the top) grown
free-standing |
| Repotting |
The act of transferring a pot
grown plant to a larger pot |
| Root ball, a |
The network of roots with soil
on a plant |
|
Root-bound |
This occurs when
a potted plant has outgrown its container and the roots become
entangled and matted together eventually causing restricted growth of the plant. |
| Rooting hormone |
A powder or liquid growth
hormone, used to promote the development of roots on a cutting |
|
Roots |
The part of a plant which is
under the soil consisting of fibrous growth |
|
Rootstock |
The part of a plant (usually a
tree) which has the roots and which will influence certain
growing characteristics of the plant such as height |
|
Runner |
A slender stem growing out
from the base of plants, which terminates with a new offset
plant. |
| Scion |
A short length of stem, taken
from one plant which is then grafted onto the rootstock of
another plant |
| Shoot |
The new soft growth from a
stem |
| Soil pH |
The measure of
the amount of lime (calcium) contained in soil. See pH |
| Staking |
The practice of driving a
stake, usually a sturdy piece of wood, into the ground close to
a plant as a growing support |
|
Standard (trained) |
A type of tree form which
consists of a long bare stem (trunk) with an open canopy of
branches and laterals, grown free-standing |
| Sucker |
A growth originating from the
rootstock of a grafted plant. |
| Systemic |
A chemical which is absorbed
directly into a plant's system |
| Tender plants |
Plants which are unable to
endure frost or freezing temperatures |
| Tendril |
A thin twisting and/or clinging growth on
plants such as vines, which enables the plant to attach itself
to supports such as canes, trellis or wires |
| Thinning |
Removing excess fruit,
branches or laterals to
allow sufficient room for the remaining fruit or branches to
grow |
| Topsoil |
The top layer of quality
soil. Also applies to good quality soil sold at
garden centres |
| Trace nutrients |
Mineral elements which are
needed by some plants in very small quantities. Sometimes
referred to as "Micro Elements" |
| Transplanting |
The process of digging up a
plant and moving it to another location. |
| Tree form |
The basic trained or untrained
shape of a tree |
| vermiculite |
An addition to
container soil or compost mixes which helps retain
moisture and makes the mix lighter |
