Glossary of Terms, Monterey Lawn and Garden

of Terms

Gardeners, nursery owners, pest control advisors, have their own jargon about weed and pest control. Since this can be quite confusing to the average homeowner, Dr. Garden would like to give you a definition of terms.

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General Terms
Types of Plant Protection and Fertilizers
Terms about Fertilizers
Terms about Fungicides
Terms about Herbicides
Terms about Insecticides

General Terms

Active Ingredients: This is on the label under the chemical nomenclature. It tells you how concentrated the chemical in the percent of active ingredient The remainder is inert ingredients used as a carrier which could be water, solvents, clay, etc. The higher the percent active ingredient, the more concentrated the product. So it is a good comparison figure when you purchase products.
Beneficial Insect: Insects that eat or lay their eggs in other insects thereby controlling them.
Chemical Name: Most pesticides are sold under 3 different names. The trade name is the one that is the best known and usually is the one which buying decisions are made . The other two are the generic name and the long chemical name (which is in the small print with the active ingredient). The generic name and chemical name are good names to use when comparing like products, since they will be the same on all products that have the same active ingredient regardless of what trade name it is sold under. For example, Weed Stopper (trade name) which is oryzalin (generic name) and 3,5-dinitro-N4,N4-dipropylsufanilamide (chemical name) which is 40.4% active ingredient. With this information you can compare other products that have oryzalin as the active ingredient. See also Types of Plant Protection and Fertilizers below.
Cool Season Grass: Grasses that remain green all winter long in mild, climate areas.
Drift: Letting your spray get where you don't want it, usually because of wind or poor application technique.
Formulations: This is how a chemical is produced and packaged. It is a carrier for the active ingredient. Dry formulations are WP (wettable powders) WDG (water dispersible granules) for mixing with water and dusts or granules for using as is. Liquid formulations are EC (emulsifiable concentrates), SC (soluble concentrates), flowables (suspensions) and AS (aqueous solution) to name a few. These are normally produced different ways to get insoluble, active ingredients to mix with water.
Incorporate: Usually referred to with herbicide use, which means to mix into the soil.
Micronutrients: These are the elements needed by plants to maintain growth. Without them, the plant can't live. They are needed in small amounts and too much can cause toxicity. Examples are Iron, Copper, Zinc, Magnesium, Calcium, Sulfur, etc.
Pre Harvest Interval: This is for edible fruits and vegetables and refers to the time between the last application of the product and when it can be harvested and consumed.
Rainfastness: Refers to the period other material must be on the plant before a rainfall or irrigation to retain its effectiveness.
Warm Season Grass: Grasses that go dormant in the winter in mild climate areas. They normally will not grow in cold winter areas.
Weed: A plant growing where it is not wanted. This could be a flower or a tree.

Types of Plant Protection and Fertilizers

Adjuvants: Anything put in the spray tank other than the active ingredient is an adjuvant. They are put in to make the product work better. Examples of adjuvants are spreaders, stickers, dyes, etc.
Growth Regulator: These are products registered as pesticides that do not control pests but change the shape or appearance of the plant, stop or start plant growth, prevent flowering and other functions.
Molluscicide: Controls snails and slugs.
Organic Product: This is a tough one. Essentially, all the chemicals used are organic since they have carbon in their chemical structure. The exception would be Sulfur and Copper, these are a couple that are inorganic. Some people say if a product is naturally occurring its organic and it is man-made it's not organic. Again, some materials are naturally occurring but can also be made synthetically. Agriculturally, products that claim to be organic must be approved by a governing board. This is not true of homeowner products. As you can see, Dr. Garden has a real problem trying to come up with a definition of “organic.” See also Organic Fertilizer below.
Pesticide: A product used to control pests. They can be herbicides (weeds), insecticides (insects), miticides (mites), fungicides (diseases), rodenticides (rodent control) algaecides (algae) growth regulators and others. In fact, the chlorine you put in your pool is registered as a pesticide, since it controls algae, etc.
Surfactants: This means surface active agents. They are adjuvants that are usually spreaders or spreader stickers that spread the water droplet over the surface of the plant for better coverage and penetration.

Terms about Fertilizers

NPK: This is fertilizer terminology. “N” means Nitrogen, “P” means Phosphorus and “K” means Potassium. When fertilizers are listed on the label they are always in this order and the number means the % of each element. In other words a 10-15-10 fertilizer contains 10% Nitrogen, 15% Phosphorus and 10% Potassium.
Organic Fertilizer: This is easier to define than organic products, as noted above. Organic fertilizers are generally thought to come from natural sources such as blood meal, manure, fish emulsion, etc.

Terms About Fungicides

Contact Fungicides: The disease must be sprayed to stop its spread or prevent infection.
Curative Fungicide: Controls the disease even after it has appeared.
Preventative Fungicide: Will not control the disease that has already appeared on the plant but will stop it's spread. Will also control the disease if applied to the plant prior to infection.
Systemic Fungicide: Products that are absorbed by either the plant roots or leaves and protects the plant from infection.

Terms About Herbicides

Contact Herbicide: A herbicide that only kills the plant material it is sprayed on. They will not kill the root systems.
Non Selective Herbicides: Controls the plant material it is sprayed on. See also Selective Herbicide below.
Preemergence Herbicide: Controls weeds as they germinate. Most will not control emerged weeds.
Postemergence Herbicide: Controls weeds that are out of ground. Most have no soil activity.
Residual Herbicides: Generally, a preemergence that stays in the soil for a specific amount of time to prevent weed germination.
Selective Herbicide: Many herbicides are selective in what they control. That's why we can take broadleaf weeds out of your lawn or, control grasses in your flowerbeds. See also Non Selective Herbicide above.
Systemic or Translocated Herbicide: These are herbicides that are taken up by the plants through the leaves and moved throughout the plants system killing the entire plant, roots and all.

Terms About Insecticides

Contact Insecticide: To control the insect you must physically spray the insect.
Residual Insecticide: Has activity on the plants for a specific number of days after spraying.
Systemic Insecticide: Taken up by the leaves or roots of the plant and controls the insect when it bites into the plant.

With all this you can "talk-the-talk" with the professionals!

“Products that work!”

Lawn and Garden Products, Inc.
P.O. Box 35000
Fresno, California 93745-5000
Phone: 559-499-2100
Fax: 559-499-1015
Email: info@montereylawngarden.com

Not all products listed on this site are registered for use in all states. For product registration information please contact the lead regulatory agency within your specific state and/or locality.