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Organic Gardening Glossary ! |
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Below is the Organic Garden Glossary ......
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Acid Soil : Soils with a pH below 7. Also called sour soil.
Actinomycetes : A fungus-like soil microoganism needed in the decay of organic matter like regular mushrooms.
Aeration : A manual process of punching holes in the soil to allow air and gases in to be exchanged.
Alfalfa Meal : A natural growth stimulator made from alfalfa. It is fast acting. NPK 2.5-0.2-2
Alkaline Soil : Soil with a pH above 7, also called sweet soil.
Allelopathy : The ability of a plant species to produce substances that are toxic to certain other plants. The inhibition of growth in one species of plants by chemicals produced by another species.
Amino Acids : The main components of protein. They are made up primarily from nitrogen and carbohydrates.
Annual : A plant that will live for 1 season due to either weather or natural cycle.
Anthers : The pollen-producing organs of flowers. The part of the stamen that contains pollen; usually borne on a stalk
B.T. : Abbreviation for bacillus thuringiensis.
Bacillus Thuringiensis : A biological control that specifically target caterpillars and other problem insects.
Bat guano : Excretions from bats that is used as a fertilizer. Bat manure.
Beneficials : Organisms that provide a benefit to crop production, applied especially to natural enemies of pests and to pollinators such as bees.
Biennial : A plant that takes two years to complete its life cycle and produce seed.
Biodegradation : The breaking down of a chemical by organisms in the environment. Is the process of converting organic materials back into CO2 and H2O though miocrobial action.
Biotic Disease : Disease caused by a pathogen, such as a bacterium, fungus, mycoplasma, or virus.
Black Spot : A disease caused by a fungus which mainly affects the foliage of roses. It will be the worse in wet weather.
Blood Meal : A dry organic fertilizer made from blood. Analysis will be approximately NPK 11-0-0.
Bone Meal : Made from cooked bones ground to a meal. Steamed bone meal. Phosphorus is main nutrient-NPK 1-11-0.
Bonsai : Is the art of growing trees and plants, kept small by being grown in a pot and by the use of skilled pruning, formed to create an aesthetic shape and the illusion of age. The Chinese art of penjing is very similar to and is the precursor of the Japanese art of bonsai.
Borax : Borax containes about 11% boron. Used in fertilizer as a source of the boron, a plant food element.
Botanical : Derived from plants or plant parts.
Broadcast application : The application of a material such as fertilizer or herbicide to the entire surface of a field.
Cane Borer : An insect larva that tunnels and feeds on the core of the stem of plants such as roses.
Canker : A dead, discolored, often sunken area (lesion) on a root, trunk, stem, or branch. Canker is a general term for a large group of different plant diseases, characterised by the appearance of small areas of dead tissue, which grow slowly, often over a period of years.
Chelated : A compound that minerals are often converted to before their use as soil additives and fertilizers.
Chlorosis : A condition occuring when a plant reflects a deficiency of chlorophyll, leaves become yellowish with the veins remaining dark green. Mainly caused by too much water or not enough iron.
Cocoon : A sheath, usually of silk, formed by an insect larva as a chamber for pupation. A silky envelope spun by the larvae of many insects to protect pupas and by spiders to protect eggs.
Colloidal Phosphate(soft) : NPK 0-2-0. Best choice for alkaline soil and is faster releasing than rock phosphate.
Compost : Decomposed organic material used to enrich the soil. Completely decayed matter.
Composted Manure : Animal manure, such as cow manure, that has been naturally composted and has by this process killed pathogens and weed seed.
Cottonseed Meal : Fertilizer meal made from ground cottonseed. NPK 6-2-1. Best put into compost pile and cycled thru that process before using.
Crop Rotation : The successive planting of different crops on the same land to improve soil fertility and help control insects and diseases.
Cultivar : A specially developed agricultural plant variety. A variety of a plant developed from a natural species and maintained under cultivation.
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Damping Off : Destruction of seedlings by one or a combination of pathogens that weaken the stem or root. A plant disease caused by a fungus; diseased condition of seedlings in excessive moisture.
Diatomaceous earth : An talc-like dust from skeletal remains of various minute, single-celled algae with cell walls consisting mainly of silica. Used as an insecticide and food supplement.
Dolomite : Made from dolomitic limestone,that contains both magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate, by a process of grinding. Added to soils lacking these minerals.
Dormant : To become inactive during winter or periods of cold weather.
Drip Irrigation : Is an irrigation method that applies water slowly to the roots of plants, by depositing the water either on the soil surface or directly to the root zone. Drip irrigation usually employs devices called emitters, which emit the water in a slow stream, and may also use devices called micro-sprinklers, which spray water in a small area.
Earthworm Castings : Earthworm excretions high in nutrients. One of the best organic fertilizers.
Entomophagous Nematodes : Nematodes that eat insects, Feeding on insects; insectivorous.
Epsom Salts : Hydrated magnesium sulfate. It is used as a fast acting source of magnesium and sulfur normally used as a soil amendment. Not a table salt.
Feeder Roots : The youngest roots with root hairs, important in absorption of water and minerals.
Fish Emulsion : A liquid fertilizer made from fish. NPK 10.5-6-0. If applied with liquid seaweed makes one great all around fertilizers.
Foliage : A term that refers to the leaves of a plant.
Foliar Spray : Liquid solution of fertilizers sprayed on the leaves and is quickly absorbed and used right away. Increase harvest dramatically - 50% more corn, 64% more potatoes.
Fruit Tree Propagation : Propagation of fruit trees is usually carried out asexually by grafting the desired variety onto a suitable rootstock.
Fungicide : A pesticide used for control of fungi. Synonyms: antifungal, antifungal agent, antimycotic, antimycotic agent.
Germination : The act of sprouting, of a seed or spore.
Granite Sand : Weathered or ground-up granite rock. Contains silicas and 19 trace minerals. Has 1-4% total potash.
Greenhouse : Also called a glasshouse or hothouse, is a building where plants are cultivated.
Greensand : A sediment called glauconite that is naturally deposited undersea. It's an excellent source of potash. Add as an iron supplement.
Guano : Manure of birds and bats that is used for fertilizer purposes.
Graft Union : Place where the rootstock joins the scion or top part of a grafted tree or vine.
Ground Cover : Any of various low, dense-growing plants, as ivy, pachysandra, etc., used for covering the ground, as in places where it is difficult to grow grass.
Gypsum : Calcium sulfate, a mineral used in fertilizer as a source of calcium and sulfur. Also used to imporve alkaline soils having a high sodium content.
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Hay : Grass or clover that is cut while still green and used as a fodder or mulch.
Hardening off : The process of gradually exposing plants to cooler and adverse growing conditions to increase their chances of living when planted outside.
Hardscaping : The landscape consists mostly of concrete, stones or gravel, with perhaps a cactus or two thrown in, but can look quite lush and colorful.
Hardy : A plant which will survive the normal temperature range in a given area.
Herbicide : A product used for weed control.
Honeydew : An excretion from insects, such as aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, and soft scales, consisting of modified plant sap.
Host : A plant or animal that provides sustenance for another organism.
Humus : Soil or organic matter that is broken down, smells like the forest floor. 3-5% of this organic matter should be found in healthy soil. Is a slow release form of food for microorganisms.
Hydromulching : Amethod of seeding using seed, fertilizer, and mulch in a mixed solution sprayed on the soil surface.
Hydroponics : Is the growing of plants without soil.
Hypha (plural: hyphae). : One of the filaments forming the body, or mycelium, of a fungus.
Infestation : The presence of a large number of pest organisms in an area or field, on the surface of a host or anything that might contact a host, or in the soil.
Inoculum : Any part or stage of a pathogen, such as spores or virus particles, that can infect a host.
Inorganic : A fertilizer made from a source that was never alive now or in the past.
Insecticide : Product used to control insects.
Instar : The larval or nymph stage of an immature insect between successive molts. Any of the successive nymphal stages in the metamorphosis of insects or the stages of larval.
Intercropping : Is the practice of cultivating an additional crop in the spaces available between the main crop.
Larva (Plural: Larvae) : The immature form of insects that develop through the process of complete metamorphosis including egg, several larval stages, pupa, and adult. In mites, the first-stage immature is also called a larva.
Leaching : The gradual loss of minerals from soil by the action of water.
Loam : The ideal type of soil(earth) which is a mixture of clay, sand, and silt. The addition of organic material will make it perfect.
Macronutrients : Essentials needed for all plants in large quantities. Include NPK, calcium, sulfur, and magnesium.
Magnesium sulfate : A soluble salt used as a source of magnesium like epsom salts.
Manure : Means some types of organic matter used as fertilizer for land. The word is also sometime used as a polite word for an animal's feces.
Metamorphosis : The change in form that takes place as insects grow from immatures to adults. Synonym: metabolism.
Microbial pesticides : Pesticides that consist of bacteria, fungi, viruses, or other microorganisms used for control of weeds, invertebrates, or plant pathogens.
Micronutrients : Essentials needed for all plants, include iron, manganese, copper, boron, molybdenum, chlorine, colbalt, and zinc.
Micropropagation : Generation of new, disease-free potato plants from tiny pieces of meristem tissue.
Microorganisms : Included are bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, algae, protozoa, beneficial nematodes, and yeast which exist to breakdown organic matter into mineral elements.
Minerals : They are the food and nutrients for plants and microorganisms. They are the basic form of organic matter.
Mulch : A covering or blanket, usually organic or inorganic, placed on the soil around the base of plants to reduce erosion, control weeds, conserve moisture, and provide insulation to the soil in extremely hot or cold weather.
Multiple cropping : Is the practice of growing two or more crops simultaneously in the same space during a single growing season.
Mycorrhizae : Beneficial associations between plant roots and fungi.
Natural enemies : Predators, parasites, or pathogens that are considered beneficial because they attack and kill organisms that we normally consider to be pests.
Necrosis : Death of tissue accompanied by dark brown discoloration, usually occurring in a well-defined part of a plant, such as the portion of a leaf between leaf veins or the xylem or phloem in a stem or tuber.
NPK : Initials for Nitrogen-Phosphate-Potash.
Organic : Material which is either plant or animal in origin.
Ornamental Grasses : Any of various plants having slender leaves characteristic of the grass family.
Oviposit : To lay or deposit eggs.
Oviposition : The laying or depositing of eggs.
Parasite : An organism that derives its food from the body of another organism, the host, without killing the host directly; also an insect that spends its immature stages in the body of a host that dies just before the parasite emerges (this type is also called a parasitoid).
Pathogen : A disease-causing organism.
Peat : Partly decomposed moss plant which grows in moist areas in the north.
Penjing : Is the ancient Chinese art of growing trees and plants, kept small by skilled pruning and formed to create an aesthetic shape and the illusion of age. Penjing is very similar to (and a Precursor : The Japanese art of bonsai. Penjing trees are commonly kept outdoors, in gardens, and tend to be trained larger than the bonsai style. It is also in the Penjing style to create groupings of trees, creating a scene of a forest, rather than an individual tree.
Pergola : Is a garden feature forming a shaded walk or passageway of pillars that support cross beams and a sturdy open lattice, upon which woody vines are trained.
Permaculture : Is the practice of designing sustainable human habitats by following nature's patterns.
Pesticide : Any substance or mixture intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, killing, or mitigating problems caused by any insects, rodents, weeds, nematodes, fungi, or other pests; and any other substance or mixture intended for use as a plant growth regulator, defoliant, or desiccant.
Pesticide Resistance : The genetically acquired ability of an organism to survive a pesticide application at doses that once killed most individuals of the same species.
Perennial : A plant that grows year after year as are most trees, shrubs, grasses, and some smaller plants.
pH : The measurement of the acidity and alkalinity of a material. It ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. 0-7 indicate acidity, 7-14 indicate alkalinity.
Pheromone : A substance secreted by an organism to affect the behavior or development of other members of the same species; sex pheromones that attract the opposite sex for mating are used in monitoring certain insects.
Phosphate : The fertilizer form of phosphorus. Usually considered the actual flower producing mineral.
Photosynthesis : The process by which plants convert sunlight into energy.
Potash : Usually made from wood ashes. One of the three main minerals in fertilizer. A term used to denote potassium.
Postemergence Herbicide : Herbicide applied after the emergence of weeds.
Potassium magnesium sulfate : Also called Sul-Po-Mag and langeinite. Mined mainly in New Mexico and some european countries. Use in areas that lack these minerals.
Predator : Any animal (including insects and mites) that kills other animals (prey) and feeds on them.
Preemergence Herbicide : Herbicide applied before emergence of weeds.
Protozoa : One-celled microscopic animals needed to help breakdown organic matter.
Pruning : Is the practice of removing diseased, overmature, or otherwise unwanted portions from a woody plant. Pinching back herbaceous plants, such as chrysanthemums to encourage denser growth or more profuse or delayed flowering, is a form of pruning.
Root Rot : A disease caused by fungus that attacks the root system of plants. Caused by improper moisture conditions.
Rosette : A cluster of leaves arranged in a compact circular pattern, often at a shoot tip or on a shortened stem.
Row Covers : Any fabric or protective covering placed over rows of plants to protect them from pest damage or harsh climate.
Seed Piece : Portion of a potato tuber containing at least one eye that is planted to produce a new potato plant.
Shadehouse : Is a gardener's edifice used to protect cultivated plants from excessive heat, light or dryness.
Side Dressing : Fertilizer or other material added to the soil around a growing crop. Synonyms: fertilization, fertilisation, fecundation.
Soil : Primarily clay, sand, silt, organic matter, and living organisms making the top layer of earth's crust.
Soil Acidifier : A material used to make the soil more acid.
Soil Amendment : Different from fertilizer by law. Matter that makes the soil healthier by activating microorganisms, balance pH, and add nutrients while balancing them.
Soil Conditioner : A material that is added to the soil to improve its content.
Soil Life : Is a collective term for all the organisms living within the soil.
Soil pH : Is an indication of the alkalinity or acidity of soil. It is based on the measurement of pH, which is based in turn on the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in a water or salt solution.
Solarization : The practice of heating soil to levels lethal to pests through application of clear plastic to the soil surface for 4 to 6 weeks during sunny, warm weather.
Sooty Mold : A sooty coating on foliage or fruit, formed by the dark mycelia of fungi that live in the honeydew secreted by certain insects.
Specific Gravity : The ratio of the density of a substance to the density of pure water; specific gravity of potato tubers is used as a measure of their dry matter content.
Spore : A reproductive body produced by certain fungi and other organisms, capable of growing into a new individual under proper conditions.
Sporulation : The production of spores.
Stale Seed Bed : Is a useful organic weed control technique which involves creating a seedbed some weeks before seed is due to be sown.
Staminate Flower : A male flower.
Succession Planting : rRefers to several planting methods that increase crop availability during a growing season by making efficient use of space and timing.
Sucker : Shoot arising from the trunk or rootstock.
Sul-po-mag : Mined material consisting of sulfur, potassium, and magnesium. Only apply when analyzis show lacking these minerals.
Synthetic Organic Pesticides : Manufactured pesticides produced from petroleum and containing largely carbon and hydrogen atoms in their basic structure.
Taproot : The large primary root that grows vertically downward, giving off small lateral roots.
Toxin : A poisonous substance produced by a living organism.
Tuber : An enlarged, fleshy, underground stem with buds capable of producing new plants.
Vector : An organism able to transport and transmit a pathogen to a host.
Vegetative : Plant parts or plant growth not involved in the production of seed, such as roots, stems, and leaves.
Vermicompost : Or worm compost is produced by feeding kitchen scraps and shredded newspaper to worms. It is one of several different methods of composting.
Vermiculite : A spongy soil conditioner often used to lighten clay soils. It may also be used as a propagating conditioner.
Vermiculture : Using worms to eat newspapers and food scrapes to produce nutrient rich castings.
Volunteer : Is a plant that grows on its own, rather than being deliberately planted by a human farmer or gardener.
Weed Control : A botanical component of pest control, stops weeds from reaching a mature stage of growth when they could be harmful to domesticated plants, sometimes livestocks, by using manual techniques including soil cultivation, mulching and herbicides.
Weeds : A plant growing in a place where it is not desirable. Any plant can be a weed to different people.
White Roots : Secondary roots.
Wildlife Gardening : Is a school of gardening that is aimed at creating an environment that is attractive to various forms of wildlife such as birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, mammals and so on.
Wood Ashes : NPK 0-1.5-8. Will increase the pH of soil. It should not be used in one area more than every 3-4 years.
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