Our first attempt at training in Ottawa was based on advice from growers in Niagara. The Pendelbogen system works well in that region and it requires a mature stock to support fruiting canes looping up and down. The fruit falls down from the three training wires.

In Eastern Ontario, the system is less likely to be seen, due primarily to the need to bury the fruiting canes each fall.

The procedure used in Prince Edward County and Western Quebec, which has proved successful, is the approach to train second year wood out from the main stock at a height of about 10 inches. The fruiting canes are then trained directly up with fruit often appearing a foot or two above ground.

One grower in PEC, James Lahti of Long Dog Winery has used this method giving him plenty of healthy fruit even after very cold winters.

The main advantage is that he will remove the fruiting canes after harvest and bury the second wood, therein protecting the vine from freezing.

At Algonquin, the process of switching to this training approach is under way. The vines were buried each year since 2001, but with difficulty and with some stress to the vines. The new approach will prevent the vines from cracking as they are bent down to be buried. Since they are only eight inches above ground, they will remain on the wires and can be easily buried with the sandy soil.