Help with horticultural terms

[Petrusja]

Dear all,

My name is Peter, I am Dutch and work as a translator. Having bought a house with a garden a few years ago, I accepted the task of translating a British gardening book - before anyone asks, I'm not sure if I can name it so I won't. I hoped that this would spark my interest in gardening and improve my knowledge, and it certainly does.

But I find it quite difficult at times. “In horticulture, there is certainly no shortage of confusing terms”! Dutch gardeners can't always solve the issues that I have so I hope that some people here enjoy helping me out.


My first question is about stem cuttings. The book first distinguishes softwood/greenwood cuttings, semi-hard cuttings and hardwood cuttings, but later on, comes up with 'leafy cuttings' without an explanation. They are clearly not leaf cuttings. Are they herbaceous cuttings, even younger than greenwoud cuttings?

The context: cut off some of the lower leaves, leafy cuttings still need to photosynthesise but water losses must be reduced. (Isn't that true for all stem cuttings by the way?) And: leafy cuttings benefit from a humid atmosphere in the greenhouse (I understand that this is indeed especially true for herbaceous cuttings).

Thanks in advance,

Peter

 

[Sheal]

Welcome Peter.

It's not very clear is it, even to me? I think it's referring to cuttings with leaves attached in preference to cuttings without leaves. Cuttings without leaves tend to be hard wood. But all those with leaves can be any softwood, semi or hardwood.

 

[Marck]

Greetings, welcome to the Forums.

If a stem cutting has leaves on it, it is a leafy cutting. Most cutting will have their lower leaves removed for the part of the stem below the soil or water line. Some cuttings will also have some upper leaves removed or partly cut. How much is removed depends on the plant, the rooting environment, and the preferences and experiences of the propagator. The same variation is true for other variables such as the amount of humidity, heat, light, irrigation and added rooting hormone. There are many different options and protocols for propagating different plants.

 

[Petrusja]

Hello Sheal and Marck,

That is actually pretty logical - provided that you know that some cuttings are, and can do, without leaves. Thank you very much.

 

[Petrusja]

The next question is about 'trenching' or three spits deep digging.

The book says you dig a trench one spit deep, and then within that another trench half the width (not in the middle but on one side, I gather), creating a 'step'. You dig over the bottom of the lower trench.

Then 'the upper half of the trench (the step) is moved over into the lower, leaving a new 'low' layer exposed on the other half of the trench which, in turn, is dug over.'

I can't visualize the bolded part. I think a more accurate description is simply that you move over the 'step' to the other half of the trench. Correct? (It seems easier said than done to me, but okay, this method is only still recommended for extremely compacted soil.)

 

[Marck]

Yes, you move the second spit-depth over to the other side, so you can dig the third spit-depth.

Also, for those who don't know, a spit is the depth a shovel blade will dig in a single scoop.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Yes, you move the second spit-depth over to the other side, so you can dig the third spit-depth.

Also, for those who don't know, a spit is the depth a shovel blade will dig in a single scoop.

And thus the name "Garden Spade" becomes more meaningful. How many shovel types are out there? 75?