Gardening Glossary
Definitions for gardening terms that start withN
- native plant
A plant that originated in the place where it is growing.
- natural mulch
Mulch that is made from natural materials, such as chipped or shredded wood or pine needles.
- natural pest control
Using organic methods to kill or repel harmful pests from a plant.
- naturalize
To design a planting pattern that mimics a random natural pattern, or it can refer to a non native plant that now grows wild in an area.
- necrotic spotting or spots
Brown spots that appear on the leaves of a plant, normally due to a disease or a nutrient deficiency.
- nightshade vegetables
Any vegetable from the nightshade family of plants. These include tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes and tomatillos.
- nitrogen
An important nutrient needed by a plant in order to grow and develop correctly.
- node
A point on a stem that has the potential to grow into another stem, flowers or into leaves.
- nodules
A small, round mass that grows on the roots of certain plants. This mass can be natural to the plant, in which case it will be used for storing nutrients or water. Or it can be caused by pests and disease, which can harm the plant.
- non-hybrid seeds
Seeds from a plant that has been open pollinated and that the resulting plant will both look like the parents and produce seeds that will grow true to the variety.
- npk
The acronym for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium, which is the normal makeup of most fertilizers. The numbers on the fertilizer will indicate in this order the amount of each. E.g. 10-10-10 would have equal amount of each.
