When plants arrive from the nursery, open the bundles immediately and check for moisture. If the roots are not moist, they should be soaked in water for six to 12 hours before planting.

Packages with moist roots can be repacked and placed in a cool, sheltered area if the trees will be planted in a day or two. If wet soils will prevent planting for several days, plants should be heeled in.

To do this, dig a trench in a sheltered, well-drained area out of the sun. The north side of a building often works well. Lay the plants so the roots are in the trench, and then place soil over the roots. Firm the soil and add water if the soil isn't already quite moist. You should not leave plants heeled in for more than two to three weeks.

Plants can be placed in a bucket of water as planting holes are prepared. Make the planting hole wide enough to accommodate all the roots without twirling them inside the hole.

If there is an especially long root, cut it to fit. Twirling long roots inside the hole may eventually girdle the tree.

Do not add organic matter to the backfill soil. Amended backfill soil allows water to pass through quickly, and the planting hole may fill with water and suffocate the roots.

Planting depth is important. For apples, make sure the graft union is between 3 and 4 inches above the soil surface after the tree is fully in place. If the graft union is below the surface, the tree will develop scion roots.

The graft union for peaches should be buried below the soil surface.

Other fruit plants should be planted at the same depth they were in the nursery. Bark color normally allows you to identify the original planting depth.

Water the plants immediately after planting to eliminate air pockets and ensure there is plenty of water for root uptake. Do not fertilize.

Pruning new fruit trees

Fruit trees planted this year should be pruned at planting to begin developing a strong structure of the main or scaffold limbs. This will help to prevent limbs from breaking over the years when the scaffolds carry a heavy fruit load.

Apple, pear, apricot, cherry and plum trees are generally trained using the central leader system. The growth pattern for these trees is for a center branch to be dominant.

Trees that have no branches or those that have only one or two small branches should be cut back so the tree is only about 30 inches high. This pruning will promote branch development along the tree trunk. The lowest branch should be about 20 inches above the soil level.

Newly purchased trees that have already developed branches should be pruned so there are no more than two to four branches for permanent scaffolds, plus the central leader, or main center branch remaining. The rest of the branches should be removed.

The scaffold branches should:

* Form wide angles (about 60 to 80 degrees) with the trunk.

* Be distributed on different sides of the tree for good balance.

* Be spaced about 6 to 10 inches apart on the trunk with no branch directly opposite or below another.

Peach and nectarine trees may be pruned to either a central leader (as described above) or open center method since they do not have a strong tendency for one shoot or branch to dominate the growth of other shoots or branches. Open-center-trained trees will usually produce more fruit.

Here are directions for pruning an open center tree:

Prune the newly planted tree or whip to about 30 inches at planting time. Newly purchased trees that have already developed branches should be pruned so there are no more than three to four branches for permanent scaffolds. The central leader, or main center branch is removed.

Scaffolds should:

* Form wide angles (about 60 to 80 degrees) with the trunk.

* Be distributed on different sides of the tree for good balance.

* Be 4 to 6 inches apart and the lowest scaffold about 14 to 18 inches above the ground, with no branch directly opposite or below another.

Training at planting is important to insure the tree gets off to a good start.