Germination – Sprouting of the root and shoot from a seed when environmental conditions are favorable.

Granular – Pesticide or fertilizer formulations in which the active ingredient or nutrient is attached to small, dry particles of some inert carrier such as clay or ground corn cobs.

Grass – A common name for members of the Grass (Gramineae) family of plants.

Groundcover – A horticultural term applied to low-growing vegetation covering the ground; usually refers to broadleaf plants rather than lawn grasses.

Groundwater – Underground water found in porous rock strata or soils.

Guaranteed Analysis – The guaranteed minimum amount of plant nutrients contained in a fertilizer product.

Hardiness – The genetic capability of a plant to adapt and survive the rigors of a particular climate, particularly to cold temperature stress.

Hardening-off (Conditioning) – The process of conditioning plants to more stressful environmental conditions.

Herbaceous – Plants with nonwoody stems normally dying back to the ground in the fall.

Herbicide – A specific category of pesticides used for controlling weeds.

High-Maintenance Lawn – Lawn areas composed of turfgrass species and varieties requiring higher levels of water, fertilizing and mowing to remain healthy.

Host Plant – Any plant that provides nutrition (and possibly shelter) for a plant pest to survive. That is, any plant that an insect or pathogen lives on is a host plant.

Humus Distinguished – The organic fraction of soil where, due to decomposition, the original parent material form can no longer be identified.