TAP ROOT: A strong, straight root growing downwards into the soil.
TENDER: Plants which cannot grow outside permanently in a climate likely to experience frost.
TENDRIL: The twining part of certain climbing plants, by which they can support themselves.
THERMOMETER: A gauge for measuring temperature.
THINNING OUT: The removal of certain overcrowded plants, shoots, or stems to enable better development of the remainder.
TILTH: A soil in cultivation, broken down to a fine texture, and suitable to sow seed in.
TOLERANT: Plants which will tolerate certain substances or conditions without adverse effect.
TOP FRUIT: fruit which is produced on a tree or treelike bush, as opposed to bush fruit (e.g., blackcurrants) which are produced on low bushes.
TOPSOIL: The top layer of a soil which is usually fertile and capable of supporting healthy plant life.
TRAINING: By manipulating, pruning or general cultivation a plant is ‘trained’; i.e. persuaded to grow in a specific form, e.g., espalier.
TRANSPIRATION: The giving-off of water through the stomates as a part of the process of photosynthesis.
TRANSPLANT: To move a plant from one location to another.
TREAD: To firm down soil gently with the feet.
TREE: A woody plant growing on one main stem or trunk, and of fairly mature age, as opposed to a shrub or bush, with many stems.
TRUNK: A hard, woody, main stem of a tree.
TUBER: A swollen stem or root used by certain plants for food storage in the dormant period. Potatoes are stem tubers, dahlias are tuberous roots.
TURF: A piece of grass, roots and soil cut from mature grassland for re-establishing elsewhere usually as a lawn. The expression turf is also used to denote the actual grassland itself.