Glossary

Methane (CH₄) is a flammable, colourless and odourless gas. The main component of natural gas is methane. It has a high greenhouse potential and thus makes a significant contribution to global warming.

Bogs are wet habitats overgrown with low vegetation. They consist of 95 percent water and are therefore large water reservoirs. Bogs are habitats in which more organic matter forms than is decomposed. In addition, peatlands are important carbon reservoirs. Almost half of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is bound in bogs.

The term “soil beings / creatures” (Edaphon) is used to refer to all the organisms living in the soil.

Expanded shale consists of crushed shale. The grains have a plate-like shape and are very light.

Cellulose and lignin are components of the cell walls of plants. At around 50 percent, cellulose is the main component and is therefore the most common organic compound. Lignin is deposited in the cell walls and leads to wood formation, also called “lignification”, of the cell wall.

In steep terrain in mountains, landslides can occur in the case of poorly consolidated materials such as soil material, boulders and rubble due to the influence of precipitation events. The material “flows” down the valley at high speed. This process is called a mudslide.

“Living construction” describes the process of “cementing” soil particles through the life processes of soil animals. Clay and humus particles are connected to each other. On the one hand, crumbs are formed with the help of mucus and excrement, on the other hand, tube systems are created that create favourable conditions for the air and

The buffering capacity describes the amount of acid that can be absorbed by the soil’s buffering function without causing a significant change in pH.

Dioxin is a collective term for chemically similar, chlorine-containing and persistent organic substances, which are highly toxic even in small quantities. They are found everywhere in the environment and are ingested through food. Because of their high fat solubility, they accumulate in humans, animals and the environment.

An indicator is a pointer to a specific feature, occurrence, or state.

In an inversion weather situation, the temperatures do not decrease as usual, but increase. Due to this phenomenon, no exchange can take place between the upper and lower air layers and a barrier layer is created. Exhaust gases and dust particles collect under this and contribute to increased air pollution.

Oxidation is a chemical reaction in which a substance emits electrons. Another substance absorbs the electrons and is reduced in the process. Oxidation is thus a partial reaction of a redox reaction (a chemical reaction in which one reactant transfers electrons to the other).

Manure is a faecal mixture of faeces and urine.

Plants that have leaves all year round and don’t shed their foliage in winter are called evergreens. Among the most common evergreens are many conifers.

The flora – also called “plant world” – includes all plants and their habitat.

With new plantings, the soil material is usually loosely stored around the roots and there is plenty of air in the soil material. In order to completely cover the fine roots with soil and to largely displace the air, the plant is watered sufficiently. This process is referred to as “slurrying in”.

At the earth’s surface, the soil material is not present as a continuum, but in the form of soil particles. These particles are granular and consist of inorganic material. Soil particles are classified according to grain size into sand, silt and clay. The size of the soil particles determines the pore volume and thus the

A plant species is referred to as a “pioneer plant” in that it can adapt well to the colonisation of new areas that are still bare of vegetation.

Lawn sods are small square pieces of grass, which are mainly used for greening sports fields and gardens.

Mapping means the graphic representation of objects and facts of the earth’s surface on maps or in plans.

See P – producer-consumer-decomposer cycle

Cradle-to-Grave describes the path taken by a substance from manufacture to disposal.

Soil formation is very different depending on the location. As a result, soils do not have a uniform structure, but are divided into layers that are more or less parallel to the surface. These layers, which differ in their properties, are called “soil horizons”. In general, the rock layer is at the very bottom, the

The habitat and the organisms living in it are called ecosystems. The plants, animals, microorganisms and the non-living environment all interact.

Organisms that live on animal excrement, dead plants and dead animals (carrion). They break up and transport organic material in the soil. This is then broken down by secondary decomposers into inorganic substances. Important primary decomposers are earthworms, enchytraea, soil mites, fly larvae, isopods and snails.

The top 20 to 30 centimetres of soil form the topsoil.

The fauna – also called “animal world” – includes all animals and their habitat.

In conventional farming it is permissible to use artificial fertilisers, pesticides* and herbicides* as well as artificial feed additives in the prescribed amounts in order to increase yield. Livestock may be treated with stronger drugs than in organic farming. This puts a strain on the environment and brings lower prices for the products compared to

Originally, a “pergola” was a sun protection standing on columns or pillars, which adorned the path from the house to the terrace. Today, these canopies are placed in all possible variants in different places as sun protection. They are usually overgrown with climbing plants.

Meteorology is the study of the physical and chemical processes in the atmosphere. The people who work in this field are called meteorologists. They deal, for example, with weather forecasts and climatology.

The granulation describes the classification of grains and particles according to their grain size. The grain sizes are divided into the following groups (from large to small): stones, gravel, sand, silt and clay. The science of determining, describing and interpreting the grain size is called granulometry.

Botany is a branch of biology and deals with the science of plants.

Acids are substances that cause a pH value of less than 7 in an aqueous solution. The pH of bases is between 7 and 14. Acids and bases usually react with one another in what is known as an acid-base reaction and can neutralise one another.

Upcycling is a form of recycling in which waste and seemingly useless materials are creatively transformed into something new.

A microclimate denotes local atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas. Often it differs only slightly, but sometimes there is a significant difference. The term can refer to areas as small as a few square meters (e.g., a garden bed or a den) or many square kilometres.

The southern hemisphere is the part of the earth located south of the equator.

Volatile organic compounds – VOCs for short – are organic substances with a low boiling point. They are found in many solvents, woods, paints and sealants.

The troposphere is the layer of the earth’s atmosphere closest to the ground. Most of the weather occurs in this layer.

Soil crumbs consists of clay and humus particles, pores filled with water, and sand. They are held together by electrostatic forces.

See S – Soil Pore

Expanded clay is ground clay that is fired in a kiln at 1,200 degrees Celsius. During combustion, the material expands spherically to four to five times its original volume.

Based on the cadastral plan (on which all properties in a municipality are marked), all areas are assigned a dedication in the zoning plan.

Sealed surfaces are soils that are separated from the atmosphere by hard surface coverings with virtually impermeable materials (asphalt, concrete, etc.) or by the direct superstructure of buildings.

“Used land” refers to areas that have been directly and permanently changed by humans for construction, transport, leisure, other purposes through construction or through mining areas and have lost their biological productivity.

The northern hemisphere is the part of the earth that is north of the equator.

Recycling means the treatment and reuse of waste for new products.

Microorganisms, also called microbes, are microscopic creatures that cannot be seen with the naked eye. These include, for example, bacteria, microalgae and many fungi.

The goal of green manure is to improve the soil. Certain plants are left in the field or planted for this purpose and then incorporated into the surface of the soil or used for mulching. This improves soil life, builds up humus, protects the soil from erosion, improves the supply of nitrogen to the following

Wood fibres, wood chips or bark products obtained from wood waste, which are used in potting soil instead of peat. They have good properties similar to those of peat, but no bogs are destroyed in order to obtain them.

Synthetic fertilisers or mineral fertilisers are inorganic plant fertilisers that can be used in conventional agriculture. The most common ingredients are nitrogen and phosphate compounds.

This distinction is a subdivision according to the nutrient requirements of plants. This distinction is important when creating crop rotation beds. Heavy feeders (e.g., brassicas) need an extraordinary amount of nutrients for good growth. Therefore, they are the first to be grown in a crop rotation. Average feeders (e.g., carrots) require significantly fewer nutrients. Weak

The atmosphere is the gaseous layer surrounding a celestial body.

In soil science, “siltation” refers to the displacement of soil particles through the influence of rain. The consequences are the closure of soil pores, which reduces water drainage and the filter effect, levelling, erosion and crust formation after drying. This hinders plant growth.

Boards planed on the front, levelled on the back and edged on the sides, which have tongue and groove joints.

Mediterranean climate refers to the macro climate in the subtropical areas. Characteristic of this are mild winters with many hours of sunshine and hot, rainy summers. The areas characterised by a Mediterranean climate are located near the 40th degree latitude.

Nutrients and energy are passed on in cycles in almost all ecosystems. Producers are the organisms that produce biomass. These are mainly plants and bacteria. Consumers consume this biomass and are dependent energy-wise on the producers. Consumers are mainly humans and animals. Decomposers are the creatures in the producer-consumer-decomposer cycle that are responsible for breaking

The adjective “eutrophic” has a Greek origin and means “rich in nutrients” but also “over-fertilised”. The process of eutrophication describes the excessive growth of plants in lakes due to an increased nutrient intake. Nitrogen and phosphorus compounds in particular cause eutrophication. The degradation of the plant masses leads to a drop in the oxygen content

“Vegetation cover” means the plant layer covering the ground.

Sphagnum mosses feed their water balance solely from rainwater and are built up almost exclusively from peat-forming mosses. Due to the high-water level (lack of oxygen and increased acidity), organic residues hardly decompose, and peat build-up takes place very slowly (approx. 1 mm per year). Peat bogs develop on impermeable mineral soils or on fens.

A development plan defines the way land can be developed and the use of the areas to be kept free from development. It also contains regulations on the permissible construction methods, construction heights and construction lines as well as the course and width of traffic areas. Development plans are based on a zoning plan and

Humic acids are mainly found in nutrient-rich, slightly acidic to neutral soils. They belong to the humic substances. Humic substances are formed from fragments and residues that are difficult to convert, such as spruce needles. They form organic-mineral complexes that contribute to structural stability and are very rich in nutrients. However, the nutrients are only

The sun’s rays hit the earth in the form of ultraviolet radiation. A part is reflected. On their way into the atmosphere, gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone and water vapour are reflected back to earth in the form of infrared radiation. This effect warms up the earth like a greenhouse and ensures a

The stem of a plant not only grows in length, but also in girth. This increases the stability of the plant on the one hand and improves the transport capacity on the other.

The term refers to the formation of the earth’s surface or the shape of a terrain and can be described, for example, on the basis of differences in height, slope and distance.

Reduction is a chemical reaction in which a substance gains electrons. In return, another substance gives up the electrons and is oxidised in the process. The reduction is therefore a partial reaction of a redox reaction.

Biomass-based fuels (e.g., from grain, corn, sugar cane), which can be used for engines and are sometimes mixed with fossil fuels in Austria.

Soil conditioners are soil-improving soil additives that can increase soil fertility and soil life. Due to their low nutrient content, soil additives are not considered fertilizers.

Leguminous plants include legumes and clover-like forage plants. They are useful for animal feed and as green manure because they are high in protein and enrich the soil with nitrogen, which they extract from the air with the help of bacteria on their roots.

“Land grabbing” is a term for the (often illegal) appropriation of land, mostly by governments or corporations.

Soil degradation describes the destruction or permanent change of the natural characteristics of a soil. This can be caused, among other things, by anthropogenic influences or climate changes.

In chemistry, the group of substances that consists only of carbon and hydrogen is called hydrocarbons. They are mainly found in fossil fuels. The molecular formula is CmHn.

Sod tiles are pieces of grass separated from the ground with a thin layer of soil in which the roots are located.

Aggregates are admixtures to potting soil (e.g., sand, loam, clay, crushed bricks, lime, algae lime, primary rock powder).

The adjective “biogenic” means “created by (the activity of) living beings, formed from dead beings”.

At a suitable temperature and humidity, plant seeds germinate either only in the light (e.g., basil) or only in the dark (e.g., tomatoes). In garden practice, this means that the seeds of light germinators are scattered on the soil, while those of dark germinators must be covered with soil.

Carbon monoxide is a chemical compound made up of carbon and oxygen. The molecular formula is CO. Carbon monoxide is odourless and colourless and very toxic. It is formed during the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing substances.

The term “lichen” is used to describe the symbiosis between a fungus and an alga. The fine fungal threads weave around the algae or penetrate them. This enables the exchange of substances between the two life partners. The alga uses sunlight and chlorophyll to produce starch, which is the basis of life for the fungus.

Humidity indicates the proportion of water vapour in a gas mixture. Since gases cannot absorb an unlimited amount of water, the relative humidity, on the other hand, describes the actual water content in relation to the physical maximum of a gas mixture.  

A volcanic eruption describes the partially explosive emergence of magma from a volcano.

Peat is a substrate of bogs that contains more than 30 percent organic matter in dry matter. Peat is formed by the activity of bacteria and fungi in soils with high water content from the accumulation of incompletely decomposed plant matter in the absence of oxygen.

The water and air-filled cavities in the soil are called “soil pores”. The pore space represents the entirety of all soil pores. Pore spaces and pore size distributions can be very different depending on the grain size distribution, the soil structure, the content of organic matter and the humus form.

Succulents are plants with a high-water storage capacity. Because of this trait, the plants are well adapted to drier climates. One of the best-known succulents are cacti.

The term “emission” means the discharge of pollutants and other disruptive factors into the environment. In environmental law, this includes discharges from toxic, harmful or environmentally hazardous chemical substances. Common examples are gaseous or particulate pollutant emissions (from cars and airplanes), liquid emissions (from contaminated sites and factories), particulate emissions (from dumps), road noise, and

“Edaphon” refers to all of the organisms living in the soil (soil beings/creatures).

An adiabatic change of state is a thermodynamic process in which a system is transformed from one state to another without exchanging heat with its surroundings. It is therefore a thermally perfectly insulated system.

The adjective anthropogenic denotes changes in the environment caused by humans.

Fossils are the remains of living things or traces of living things that are more than 10,000 years old. The formation of fossils is called “fossilisation”. Fossils are formed when dead living beings are sealed off from oxygen in sediment and no more change processes take place in the earth’s crust.

The soil’s buffering function describes its ability to neutralise acids in order to keep the pH constant.

Greenhouse gases reflect sunlight bouncing off the Earth, acting like greenhouse glass. Air pollutants that affect the climate include carbon dioxide (CO2), which is produced when fossil fuels are used, methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and fluorinated gases (F-gases).

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a liquid compound of hydrogen and oxygen. It is irritating to eyes, skin and mucous membranes.

Red lists provide information about the endangerment status, the endangerment factors and the measures to protect the species in certain regions.

This approach, invented by the German chemist Michael Braungart and the American architect William McDonough, puts product cycles in a holistic context. The goal is not to dispose of the substances and materials used in products as waste, but to reuse them. That means continuing to use it after using it for another purpose.

Due to the filter function of the soil, even very small dirt or pollutant particles can be bound in seeping water. This prevents contamination of the groundwater.

The term describes the grouping of particles of a certain grain size. There is no internationally valid definition. In German-speaking countries, for example, there are the fraction groups fine soil, fine skeleton and coarse skeleton, which in turn are subdivided into main fractions (e.g., clay, silt, sand, gravel).

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are the gaseous oxides of nitrogen. Nitrogen oxides irritate and damage the respiratory system and are responsible for the formation of acid rain.

This chemical substance is better known by its trivial name, laughing gas. The chemical molecular formula is N2O. Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas and contributes to global warming. The gas is mainly used as an anaesthetic.

This term describes chemical agents for the destruction of plant and animal pests of all kinds.

To classify different soils, a distinction is made between soil types such as brown soil, podzol, gley, etc. The soil types are systematically classified with diagnostic features and properties. The characteristic horizons and horizon sequences play a major role for the classification.

Soil erosion describes the removal or displacement of the soil due to external influences. The main causes of soil erosion are rain (due to runoff) and wind.

Various materials are suitable for mulching. For beds and vegetable gardens green manure, straw, leaves and compost are best. Bark mulch, cocoa shells or inorganic materials such as lava or sand can be applied in shrub beds. Bark mulch, wood chips, leaves, etc. are a good choice for mulching trees and groves.