Plain-English dictionary
Glossary
17 everyday terms explained simply, no jargon.
A
- Annual
- A plant that completes its whole life cycle — sprout, flower, seed, die — in a single growing season.
C
- Compost
- Decomposed organic matter used to enrich soil and feed plants.
D
- Deadhead
- To remove spent flowers so a plant puts energy into new blooms instead of seeds.
F
- Full sun
- A spot that gets roughly six or more hours of direct sunlight a day.
G
- Germination
- The stage when a seed sprouts and begins to grow into a seedling.
H
- Hardening off
- Gradually getting indoor-raised seedlings used to outdoor conditions before planting them out.
L
- Loam
- A balanced, crumbly soil of sand, silt, and clay that most plants love.
M
- Mulch
- A layer of material spread over soil to hold moisture, suppress weeds, and protect roots.
N
- NPK
- The three main plant nutrients on fertilizer labels: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).
P
- Partial shade
- A spot with a few hours of direct sun, often morning sun and afternoon shade.
- Perennial
- A plant that lives for several years, usually returning each season after a dormant period.
- Perlite
- Lightweight volcanic granules mixed into potting soil to improve drainage and airflow.
- pH
- A measure of how acidic or alkaline soil is, which affects how well plants take up nutrients.
- Pruning
- Cutting back stems or branches to shape a plant, remove dead growth, or encourage new growth.
R
- Repotting
- Moving a plant into a larger pot with fresh soil as it outgrows its container.
S
- Seedling
- A young plant grown from seed, in its first weeks of life before it matures.
T
- Transplant
- To move a plant from one growing spot or container to another.
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