Like every other pursuit, gardening has its own vocabulary. Here are a few definitions to help you understand what your gardening friends are talking about.
- Beneficial insects. These insects provide a service to the garden such as pollination or control of insect pests. Some beneficial insects are bees, wasps, moths, ladybugs, lacewings, dragonflies and spiders. Neither organic nor synthetic insecticides distinguish between beneficial and harmful insects so avoid using them whenever possible. Instead try to attract beneficials to your garden by growing plants rich in pollen and nectar, providing water, leaving some weeds for shelter and food sources and installing permanent pathways and mulched beds for beneficial insects to hide in during cultivation. Beneficial insects can be purchased to release in your garden.
- Deciduous plant. A plant that loses its leaves each year at the end of the growing season.
- Deadheading. Cutting dead flowers off stems after bloom. Besides making the plants look nicer, the purpose of deadheading is to prevent the plant from spending its energy producing seeds. Deadheading sometimes encourages new growth and re-bloom.
- Drip irrigation. An efficient way to water plants by applying water directly to the root zone. Either a soaker hose or a more sophisticated system of PVC pipes and flexible tubing is buried underground. Water is turned on at a very low pressure and it slowly drips only where needed instead of spreading out and covering a large area.
- Heirloom plant. These are plants that were grown by your grandparents. The seeds have been saved year after year and the plants that grow from them are identical to the ones grown a hundred years ago.
- Hybrid plant. A plant produced by crossing two plants with different genetic backgrounds to produce a new plant. Plants may be bred to emphasize disease resistance, longer storage time, size, color, taste, etc.
- Shade cloth. A very light-weight polyester cloth that is placed over plants to protect them from insect pests or bright sun. Also provides slight frost protection. It is usually purchased in long rolls and can be easily cut to the size needed. Edges are weighted down with stones to prevent insects from getting to plants. Shade cloth must be removed from plants that need insects for pollination when flowers form.
- Succession planting. Planting a late crop of vegetables in the same space in the garden that another crop occupied earlier in the season. For example, radishes and peas are fast growers that are harvested early and can be followed by beans or carrots.
- Top dressing/side dressing. These terms refer to adding fertilizer plants are growing. The fertilizer is sprinkled within a row of plants, or in a band next to a row and scratched into the soil. It may also be applied in a circle around larger plants like tomatoes.
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