A Glossary of Kitchen Garden Terminology
Jan 30, 2025
Familiarizing yourself with basic plant terminology can lessen the overwhelming feeling of being a new plant parent. Knowing plant care terms empowers you to be a better observer and problem solver. That's what growing success is all about!
I've listed important garden vocabulary to help you feel more confident when researching, asking questions, and digging into the soil!
Enjoy!
Chlorophyll
The green pigment within a plant that allows it to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis and convert it to food for the plant.
Cache Pot
Put simply, it's a pot with drainage inside a larger pot that does not contain drainage. By filling the base of the larger pot with water, you hydrate your plants by allowing the soil to pull in hydration as needed.
Determinate
In gardening, this term describes a crop that grows to a determined height and generally produces its fruit all at once. These plants are great for container gardens and often don't need additional trellising support.
Indeterminate
In gardening, this term refers to crops that do not have an intrinsic limit to their growth but only stop growing when affected by the weather, pests, or disease. Due to their sprawling nature, they often require more space and sometimes trellises for vertical support.
Internode
The space between nodes on a main stem. Locating these is important for propagating some plants, especially herbs within the Mint Family. You would cut at the base of an internode, right above a node.
Node
When I think of a plant's node, I think of "new". It's a new branch, leaf, or flower bud that grows from a plant's main stem.
Perlite
Small, styrofoam-looking balls often included in potting mixes. Made from volcanic minerals, it's both porous and absorbent and helps to aerate the soil for healthy airflow and drainage.
Photosynthesis
The process of plants being exposed to sunlight, converting carbon dioxide into food for the plant, and giving off oxygen.
Phototropism
Nature's magic that allows plants to turn or stretch their stems, leaves, and budding flower faces toward the strongest source of light. To prevent my indoor plants from growing lopsided, I often rotate them every week for more overall even growth.
Plant Cuttings
A portion taken from a plant's roots, stems, or leaves and put in an environment that encourages the cutting to grow its own roots or stems to eventually become an independent plant. Many plants can grow from cuttings and I've had the most success with succulents and herbs within the Mint Family, such as Rosemary, Basil, and of course, Mint.
Plant Family
Within Plant Classification, plants within the same family share similar features and nutritional needs. Learning plant families is helpful because when you understand how to care for one plant within that family, you are not starting from scratch with how to care for all plants within that family.
Potting Soil/Potting Mix
Both terms describe the medium used for your plants to establish roots and live. Depending on what the plant needs to thrive, potting mixes can contain different nutrients and components designed to retain or dispel hydration.
Propagation
This is different than starting a plant from seed; it is the process of growing a new plant from an existing one. Depending on your plant's characteristics, you can propagate by cutting from the stem or leaf, dividing between rhizomes, or using plant pups or offshoots.
Rhizome or Rhizomatic
Plants that have horizontal stems that are often underground and produce above-ground vertical shoots or small branches. From each upward growth, there is also usually a small root system below the rhizome to support that part of the plant. Examples include gingers, bamboo, and many types of grasses.
Rootbound
As a plant grows in a pot, the roots can run out of room. When this happens, the roots circle the interior, looking for somewhere else to get the needed hydration and nutrition. If you notice this happening, it's time to repot into something larger.
Root Rot
When the roots of a plant persistently sit in water, which suffocates the plant and becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and unwanted fungus. Rotten roots are common in potted plants that have been continually overwatered.
Runners
Stems that grow horizontally above ground that can establish independent root systems and grow vertical branches. Well-known plants with this characteristic include strawberries, mint, spider plants, and philodendrons.
Variegation/Variegated
Markings on a plant's leaves that are different colors. More common with indoor plants and often a little bit slower to grow due to containing less of the green pigment, chlorophyll, that allows the plant to turn sunlight into food for the plant.