What encompasses methods like tilling, fertilizing, and watering to control plant growth?

The correct choice highlights cultural practices, which refer to various management techniques that gardeners and landscapers use to promote healthy plant growth while managing issues like pests, diseases, and environmental stresses. Cultural practices encompass tilling, which improves soil structure and aeration; fertilizing to supply essential nutrients that plants need for growth; and watering, which ensures that plants receive adequate moisture. These approaches focus on creating optimal growing conditions and maintaining plant health through planning and routine care rather than relying solely on chemical treatments or biological agents.

Other methods, while effective in their own right, do not fit the description as directly. Mechanical practices might include physical methods of weed control or pest management, and chemical practices center around the use of pesticides or herbicides. Biological practices would involve employing natural organisms to control pests or enhance plant growth, which is distinct from the broader, foundational practices identified as cultural practices.