Glossary of Gardening Terms

acid - having a pH of less that 7

alkaline - having a pH of more than 7

annual - A plant that completes its life cycle in one year or less.

biennial - A plant that lives for up to two years under outdoor conditions, flowers and produces seed the second year.

bolt - When a plant flowers prematurely.

characteristics - General features caused by unidentified complexes of genes including but not limited to freeze tolerance, cold tolerance, regional adaptability, winter hardiness, early maturation, and flavor.

cross-pollination - When pollen is exchanged between different flowers from the same or different plants.

cultivar -  A horticultural variety or strain that originated and has persisted under human cultivation.

damping off - Over watering seedlings promotes the growth of mildew that causes seedlings to keel over with shriveled stems. The most common disease of greenhouse seedlings, it is aggravated by extreme swings in temperature like warm days and cold nights. The best prevention is to water in mid-morning and to allow the soil surface to dry out between waterings.

deciduous - A plant that produces fresh leaves annually (and sheds old leaves)

determinate/indeterminate - Determinates flower once or twice a growing period, usually early in the season, and yield mature harvests all at one time. Indeterminate plants flower and fruit continuously throughout the growing season.

dormancy - A period of low or absent plant growth

hardening off - A process of helping plants that have been raised under cover to adapt to cooler outdoor conditions and direct sun. Gradually introducing greenhouse plants to outside conditions for one to two weeks before planting in the ground is one recipe for hardening-off.

heirloom - Time-tested, open-pollinated varieties of primarily European descent, that have been passed down for at least three generations. For many reasons, including flavor, vigor, local hardiness and dependability, these have become favorites. Often, heirloom seeds are the repository of unusual genes that can help to preserve genetic diversity.

epiphyte - A plant that has aerial roots, used to grip trees. (ex: some ferns, moss and orchids)

F1 hybrid - The "F" in F1 hybrid stands for filial or offspring. F1 means the first generation offspring after cross-pollination. The majority of F1 hybrids are sterile or produce offspring unlike themselves. See "hybrid."

gound cover - Carpeting species that rapidly cover bare ground.

hybrid - Varieties resulting from natural or artificial pollination between genetically distinct parents. Commercially, the parents used to produce hybrids are usually inbred for specific characteristics.

hydroponics - Method of growing plants in a liquid culture

inbreeding depression - A loss of vigor because of inbreeding. Inbreeding is the result of self-pollination or pollination between two close relatives.

insect pollination - Pollen is carried from one flower to another by insects.

loam - Fertile soil that retains moisture while remaining well-drained

monecious - A species is monecious if it produces single plants with separate male flowers and female flowers on the same plant. (ex: french round squash)

mulch - Organic matter placed over the soul to conserve moisture and keep frost from the roots and weed growth.

mutation -  Abrupt change in plant’s habit

neutral - Having a pH of 7

offsetting - A plant that produces miniature replicas of itself, usually around its base (ex: artichoke)

open-pollinated - Open-pollinated varieties are stable varieties resulting from the pollination between the same or genetically similar parents. Not hybrid.

organic - A substance produced by plants or animals via natural means

ovary - The female part of a flower that contains the ovules. Fertilized ovules develop into mature seeds.

perennial - Plant that lives for at least three seasons.

perfect flowers - Individual flowers that contain both stamens and pistils.

Perlite -Sterile granular form of aluminum silicate used in composts.

pH - Scale by which acidity or alkalinity of soil is measured.

pistil - The female reproductive organ in a flower made up of the stigma, style, and ovary.

pollen - Equivalent of sperm in plants. Pollen grain fertilizes plant ovules.

pollination - The process of sexual fertilization in plants. The male chromosomes contained in pollen are combined with the female chromosomes contained in the ovules.

recessive trait - The variation of a specific, identifiable gene that results in observ able traits only if the dominant trait is not present. For example, wrinkled pea seeds result only in varieties where the dominant smooth-seed trait is missing.

rogue - The process of removing or destroying plants with unwanted characteristics or traits.

scarification - To abrade, scratch, or modify the surface for increasing water absorption.

selection - The process of saving the seeds from plants that exhibit desirable charac teristics and traits. To identify desirable characteristics, plant the same variety in different environmental conditions, or plant different varieties in the same environ mental conditions.

self-pollination - When pollination takes place within a single flower, usually before it opens. Other flowers or plants are not needed. Self-pollinating flowers are called "perfect flowers" because they contain the stamens that produce pollen and the pistil that receives the pollen. Isolation distance to prevent cross-pollination is not necessary unless insects are known to invade the flowers before pollination is complete.

stamen - A flower's male reproductive organ consisting of the filament, anther, and pollen.

stigma - The opening in the pistil through which the pollen passes to the ovary. 

style - Contains the pollen tube between the stigma and the ovary through which the pollen is carried.

sucker - shoot that grows from the rootstock (or from the crotch between the stem and a branch on a tomato plant).

traditional/native - Open-pollinated varieties that have evolved through centuries of growing by native/indigenous peoples of the world. They are often drought and pest resistant, hardy and nutritious and are still cultivated around the world.

trait - A specific feature traced to an identifiable gene or group of genes. Pea traits traceable to single genes include vine growth (bush or tall), seed texture (smooth or wrinkled) and disease resistance (fusarium, enation mosaic, and powdery mildew).

untreated seeds - Have not been coated with fungicides, herbicides, fertilizers or growth hormones.

viable - A viable seed is one that will germinate and produce a vigorous plant. Seeds must not be harvested before they have matured enough to be viable. There is wide variation in the point of maturity at which a seed can be harvested and still be viable.

vigor - Strong, vibrant germination and growth. A desirable characteristic.

wind pollination - When pollen is carried from one flower to another by the wind.