Gardening Glossary

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water-holding capacity (WHC)

The ability of a soil's micropores to hold water for plant use.

water sprout

A vigorous shoot originating above ground on a plant's trunk, older wood, or bud union. Usually breaks from a latent bud. Often the result of heavy pruning.

water-soaking

Lesions that appear wet and dark and usually are sunken and/or translucent. Often a symptom of bacterial disease.

weed-and-feed

A combination fertilizer and herbicide sometimes used on lawns.

whorled

Arranged in a ring.

wilt

(1) Lack of freshness, turgor, and the drooping of leaves from a lack of water. (2) A vascular disease that interrupts a plant's normal uptake and distribution of water.

wilting point (WP)

The point at which water content within plant cells is low enough that cellular turgor is lost and the plant wilts.

witches' broom

Abnormal brush-like development of many weak shoots.

wood

The dense tissue composed of secondary xylem in stems and roots.

woody perennial

A plant that goes dormant in the winter and begins growth in the spring from aboveground stems.