Fifteen Scouting America scouts learned how to plant the right plant in the right place by attending a Plant Science Merit Badge class in Rosenberg.

Fort Bend County Master Gardeners organized the Saturday class in October that covered topics ranging from careers in the horticulture field and plant hardiness zones to fertilizers and how to plant radish seeds. They are all steps toward earning a Plant Science Merit Badge.

Twelve-year old Isabella of Houston said her mom asked her if she wanted to attend the class. "It's very interesting," she added.

Eleven Master Gardeners led the instruction. "Good pruning directs growth and eliminates bad habits and problems," Master Gardener Ed Plant of Rosenberg told Scouts Each Scout received branches on which to practice terminal or lateral cuts. "If you understand the relationship between the location of the bud on the branch and the position of the running cuts, you can train a plant to grow as you want," Plant told the Scouts.

Master Gardener Everett Blanton of Richmond queried Scouts about their interest in various plant science careers in fields that included horticulture, agronomy and botany.

Scouts learned about soils from medium and fine to coarse and the importance of knowing the qualities of the plants they intend to plant to help them grow better. Knowing, for example, how large a plant will become when it matures will help the Scout plant it in the right place, said Master Gardener Lakshmi Murugalakshrni of Katy. Other pre-planting questions that need to be answered include whether it is shade tolerant, what soil pH is best and whether it is a native plant or cultivar, she said.

Master Gardener Donna Blackburn of Sugar Land used the word PLANTS to ask the Scouts to identify needs. Their answers: Plant, Light, Air, Nutrients, Thirsty (Water) and Soil. She then focused on nutrients and emphasized the importance of reading instructions on bags of fertilizers before using them.. "Always read your directions; you can kill your plants in a heartbeat," she said.

Scouts then got more hands-on learning after Master Gardener Marina Balli of Richmond led them on a project to plant radish seeds. She talked about the depth that seeds are planted, potting mixes which are soilless mediums and seedlings' water and light needs.