Horticulture Vs Botany: What is The Difference?

What is Horticulture?

Horticulture comes from a Latin word which means the gardens’ cultivation, and it belongs to the three different main branches of growing plants.

Horticulture is involved in growing the plants for aesthetic purposes, including flower cultivation and floriculture. It also includes the growing of food in the garden of your home.

Another thing about horticulture is that besides home gardening, it is also involved in the maintenance and landscaping of playing fields, golf courses, parks and other public gardens.

The supplies that are used for horticulture purposes are from nurseries, plant growers, and seed producers.

Plant Physiologists are the ones who are working on the needs of the plants, including the nutritional ones, while the Pathologists are responsible for protecting the plants from damages and diseases.

Horticulture and Gardening

Horticulture is rewarding both emotional and recreational for most home gardeners. As you all know, one of the most popular things that people at home do is gardening.

This is most especially for individuals who are living in the suburbs and the city since they can grow plants in balconies in window boxes.

Horticulture and Soil Quality

When it comes to horticulture, the soil’s quality is critical. The plant won’t be able to grow well if the moisture, organic matter, and nutrients are not combined correctly.

The ideal soil for planting is the loamy one since it has the right combination and balanced of organic matter, sand and a mixture of clay.

Horticulture and Factors on Climate

Some of the factors that can have effects on the growth of a plant are the wind, light, humidity, precipitation, and temperature. The horticulturist will then consider if the ranges of seasonal temperatures can be well tolerated by the plants.

Typically, when a plant is exposed to the temperature that is lower than 28 degrees Fahrenheit, they tend to die.

Becoming a Horticulturist

Becoming a horticulturist will require you to pursue a degree in agriculture science. There are a lot of colleges that offer this program, and this will help you to work with producers in the agriculture industry and assist you in finding horticulturist jobs.

Getting this program will also help you improve the yields of farmers and grow plants for nursery owners.

It would also be best to gain as much experience as you can while taking the program. You can start interning or volunteering at nurseries and garden centers.

You can also intern at government agencies that are dealing with horticulture and as well as agriculture.

What is Botany?

Botany is also a part of science and is known as the study of plants. The plants include in this study are flowering plants, conifers, ferns, mosses, lichens, fungi, and algae.

Since it is a study of plants, it also includes the study of classification, distribution, ecology, genetics, structure, and physiology.

Botany and the Society

Botanists have the ability to grow a plant using single cells, which is a great potential in plant pathology, forestry, horticulture, and biotechnology. Another thing that botanists are interested in is pollution.

The reason behind this is because there are plant species that are known to be sensitive to a particular pollutant. This will then be studied by the botanist, for them to understand the effects of these pollutants on the plants.

The results will be used to advise the lawmakers for them to be able to protect the environment and the natural areas as well.

Becoming a Botanist

Becoming a botanist means you need to work efficiently, whether you are working independently or with a team. You also need to be able to accurately read maps and work in the outdoors no matter what the weather is.

You also need to get a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree in plant biology, zoology, and botany itself. Of course, while you are studying, it would be nice to get experiences.

There are a lot of internships that you can go to so you don’t have to worry about anything at all. You can also get summer jobs in private companies, research labs, biological stations, and other government departments. 

Always remember to apply with certain organizations that will make your future employers impressed.