Hoeing :

Hoeing or forking is an operation in which the surface soil around the plant, is loosened with a hoe (khurpi) or a fork and is turned inside out. The hoeing may be up to 7-15 cm (3-16in.) depth. The object of hoeing is to keep the soil porous so that light, air and water may reach the roots better, to improve moisture-retention capacity and to remove weeds. Hoeing has to be done carefully so that the surface or stem roots are not damaged. Hoeing should be done when soil is moist or dry but not wet and soggy. The best procedure for hoeing is to water the plants in the morning, hoeing them in the evening and then watering in the morning. An interval between hoeing and watering helps in the aeration of roots and absorption of water from a greater depth. Sudden exposure to heat during the hot sunshine period or to cold at night may cause damage to the roots.

Weeding :

Removal of weeds is called weeding. Weeds, besides competing with the garden plants for nourishment, are also sometimes hosts to pests and diseases, which are transferred from them to the garden plants. They should, therefore, be removed as soon as they appear.

Stopping :

means pinching of a growing shoot of a plant. Stopping also includes removal of side shoots growing from the axis of the leaf joint with the main shoot as in balsam, larkspur, or tomato, in order to let the energy of the plant be diverted fully to the flower stem. Stopping may be done more than once in a season, depending on the growth of plant and its variety. It is better not to stop more than one or two big shoots and 3-4 small shoots at a time in a plant.
Disbudding means removal of all but one or two selected buds on a stem. Plants which have large and decorative flowers need more disbudding than those with small and medium flowers. Chrysanthemum, dahlia and carnation require heavy disbudding, while roses need comparatively less of it.

Dead heading :

Removal of withered flowers from the plant is called dead heading. Flower are produced in nature for producing seeds and as soon as seeds are produced the natural function of the plant having been over, it dies or rests. Therefore, a garden plant should not be allowed to seed except for purposes of collection of seed. Removal of withered, dried flowers is thus to prevent the plant from seeding.