Fertilizer Terms

NPK

This is fertilizer terminology. “N” means Nitrogen, “P” means Phosphorus and “K” means Potassium. When fertilizers are listed on the label they are always in this order and the number means the % of each element. In other words a 10-15-10 fertilizer contains 10% Nitrogen, 15% Phosphorus and 10% Potassium.

Organic Fertilizer

This is easier to define than Organic Products, as noted in the Glossary of Plant Protection. Organic fertilizers are generally thought to come from natural sources such as blood meal, manure, fish emulsion, etc.

 

Fungicide Terms

Contact Fungicides

The disease must be sprayed to stop its spread or prevent infection.

Curative Fungicide

Controls the disease even after it has appeared.

Preventative Fungicide

Will not control the disease that has already appeared on the plant but will stop it's spread. Will also control the disease if applied to the plant prior to infection.

Systemic Fungicide

Products that are absorbed by either the plant roots or leaves and protects the plant from infection.

 

General Horticultural Terms

A B C D E F G H L M O P R S T X

Abscission

A natural dropping of leaves, flowers and other plant parts.

Acid soil

Soils with a pH below 7.0. Acid soils can cause problems when their pH is below 5.5

Aeration

To increase the amount of air space in the soil by tilling or otherwise loosening the soil.

Alkakine soil

Soil with a pH above 7.0. Alkaline soils slow the growth of many plants when their pH is above 8.0.

Axil

The disease must be sprayed to stop its spread or prevent infection.

Axilary buds

Buds that form in leaf axils.

 

Biennial plants

A plant that grows, flowers, produces seeds or fruit, and dies in two years. Some herbacous flowers and vegetables are biennial. Most biennial plants produce foliage the first year and bloom the second year.

Chlorosis

The disease must be sprayed to stop its spread or prevent infection.

Complete fertilizer

A fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the three nutrients in which plants are most commonly deficient.

Conifer

Woody trees and shrubs that produce cones. Common conifers include pines, firs, spruce, juniper, redwood and hemlocks.

Corm

A short, solid, enlarged, underground stem from which roots grow. Corms are food-storage organs. They contain one bud that will produce a new plant.

Dead-heading

The removal of old blossoms to encourage continued blooming or to improve the appearance of the plant.

Deciduous

Plants that shed all their leaves annually, usually in the fall.

Dormant

A state of rest and reduced metabolic activity in which plant tissues remain alive but do not grow.

Dormant Oil

Oil sprayed on deciduous trees while they are dormant. Dormant oils are used to kill overwintering insects or insect eggs on plant bark.

 

Espalier

To train a plant along a railing or trellis so that the plant grows against the rail or trellis.

Evergreen

A plant that retains all or most of it's foliage throughout the year.

Graft

To unite a stem or bud of one plant to stem or root of another plant.

Hardening off

The process of plant adjustment to cold temperatures.

Hardiness

The ability of a plant to withstand cold temperatures.

Herbaceous

Plants that are mainly soft and succulent, forming little or no woody tissue.

Herbicide

A chemical that kills or retards plant growth. Herbicides may kill the entire plant; or they may kill only the aboveground plant parts, leaving the roots alive.

Larva

An immature stage through which some types of insects must pass before developing into adults. Caterpillars are the larvae of moths and butterflies, and grubs are the larvae of beetles. Larvae are typically wormlike in appearance.

Lateral bud

A bud forming along the side of a stem or branch rather than at the end.

 

Macronutrients

Nutrients required by plants for normal growth. Macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are needed in large quantities by most plants.

Micronutrients

Nutrients required by plants for normal growth. Micronutrients such as iron, zinc, and manganese are needed in small quantities by most plants.

Mites

A group of tiny animals related to spiders, many of which feed on plants.

Mulch

A layer of organic or inorganic material on the soil surface. Mulches help to moderate the temperature of the soil surface, reduce loss of moisture from the soil surface, suppress weed growth, and reduce run-off.

Organic matter

A substance derived from plant or animal material.

 

Pathogen

An organism capable of causing a disease. ( such as fungus, bacterium, or virus)

Peat

Partially degraded vegetable matter found in marshy areas. Peat is commonly used as asoil amendment.

Perennial plant

A plant that lives for more than 2 years, often living for many years. Almost all woody plants and many herbaceous plants are perennials.

Pesticide

A chemical used to kill an organism considered a pest.

Petiole

A stalk that attaches the leaf to the stem; a leafstalk.

pH

A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance; a measure of the relative concentration of hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions.

Phloem

Nutrient-conducting vessels found throughout the plant. Phloem vessels transport nutrients produced in the foliage down through the stems, branches, or trunk to the roots.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants use the sun's light to produce food (carbohydrates).

Propogation

Means of reproducing plants, such as by seeds, cutting , budding or grafting.

 

Runners

Aboveground, trailing stems that form roots at their nodes when they make contact with moist soil.

Slow-release fertilizer

Fertilizers that release their nutrients slowly and evenly, over a long period of time.

Soluble fertilizers

Fertilizers that dissolve easily in water and are immediately available for plant use.

Stomates

Tiny pores located mainly on the underside of leaves. Oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases move in and out of the leaf through these pores.

Terminal buds

A bud at the end of a stem or branch.

Transperation

Evaporation of water from plant tissue to the atmosphere. Transpiration occurs mainly through the stomates in the leaves.

 

Herbicide Terms

Contact Herbicide

A herbicide that only kills the plant material it is sprayed on. They will not kill the root systems.

Non Selective Herbicides

Controls the plant material it is sprayed on. See also Selective Herbicide below.

Preemergence Herbicide

Controls weeds as they germinate. Most will not control emerged weeds.

Postemergence Herbicide

Controls weeds that are out of ground. Most have no soil activity.

Residual Herbicides

Generally, a preemergence that stays in the soil for a specific amount of time to prevent weed germination.

Selective Herbicide

Many herbicides are selective in what they control. That's why we can take broadleaf weeds out of your lawn or, control grasses in your flowerbeds. See also Non Selective Herbicide above.

Systemic or Translocated Herbicide

These are herbicides that are taken up by the plants through the leaves and moved throughout the plants system killing the entire plant, roots and all.

 

Insecticide Terms

Contact Insecticide

To control the insect you must physically spray the insect.

Residual Insecticide

Has activity on the plants for a specific number of days after spraying.

Systemic Insecticide

Taken up by the leaves or roots of the plant and controls the insect when it bites into the plant.

 

Plant Protection

Adjuvants

Anything put in the spray tank other than the active ingredient is an adjuvant. They are put in to make the product work better. Examples of adjuvants are spreaders, stickers, dyes, etc.

Growth Regulator

These are products registered as pesticides that do not control pests but change the shape or appearance of the plant, stop or start plant growth, prevent flowering and other functions.

Molluscicide

Molluscicide is used to control snails and slugs.

Organic Product

Essentially, all the chemicals used are organic since they have carbon in their chemical structure. The exception would be Sulfur and Copper, these are a couple that are inorganic. Some people say if a product is naturally occurring its organic and it is man-made it's not organic. Again, some materials are naturally occurring but can also be made synthetically. Agriculturally, products that claim to be organic must be approved by a governing board. This is not true of homeowner products.

Pesticide

A product used to control pests. They can be herbicides (weeds), insecticides (insects), miticides (mites), fungicides (diseases), rodenticides (rodent control) algaecides (algae) growth regulators and others. In fact, the chlorine you put in your pool is registered as a pesticide, since it controls algae, etc.

Surfactants

This means surface active agents. They are adjuvants that are usually spreaders or spreader stickers that spread the water droplet over the surface of the plant for better coverage and penetration.