Glossary of terms used on this site
A
- Air Porosity or Air Space
-
The percent volume (volume/volume) of soil/growing media that is filled with air when irrigating media to container capacity. The air in media is primarily in the large macropores. This also applies to plants planted in the ground.
- Algae
-
Algae are simple photosynthetic organisms that belong to the kingdom Protista. Most algae are aquatic; seaweeds are algae. They typically do not harm plants, an exception to this is Magnolia and Avocado algae.
- Alkalinity
-
A measure of water's capacity to neutralize acids. True alkalinity is the sum of the dissolved bicarbonates, carbonates, hydroxides, ammonia, borates, organic bases, phosphates and silicates in the water. Most of the time in practice, alkalinity is the sum of the bicarbonates and carbonates (total carbonates) expressed as me/1 or ppm (parts per million).
- Aloe
-
Aloes are succulent, clumping plants with fleshy, toothed (non-fibrous) leaves. There are about 300 species of aloe; they live in warm, dry habitats and most originated in northern Africa. Aloe vera is a popular plant whose gel-like sap is used as a medicinal salve; it is originally from northern Africa, the Cape Verde Islands, and the Canary Islands. Aloe vera has grey-green leaves and tubular yellowish flowers that grow on a stalk that is up to 3 feet tall. There are several ornamental Aloes that grow in South Florida.
- Ammoniacal
-
Consisting of, containing, or producing ammonia. When referring to a fertilizer, it indicates a fertilizer that contains ammonia or ammonium (such as ammonium sulfate) or a fertilizer that can produce ammonia or ammonium upon breakdown (such as urea).
- Annuals (winter and summer)
-
Annuals are colorful, showy flowers that do not live year-around. Summer annuals typically live from May -- mid October and winter annuals from late October -- late April.
- Antagonism
-
When one nutrient in high concentration suppresses the activity of another nutrient and causes an induced nutritional deficiency. For example, applying fertilizer with too much nitrogen may cause a deficiency in Potassium- this is often seen in Palms where grass fertilizer has been applied too many times near palms while the palms have not been fertilized properly.
- Available Water Capacity
-
The percent volume (volume/volume) of soil/growing media occupied by water that is available to the plant. It is calculated by determining the container capacity, then subtracting the unavailable water (PWP).
