Cane Training
Definition - What does Cane Training mean?
In the context of viticulture, cane training focuses on supporting the main area of vine growth off of the trunk of the vine. Canes are the mature shoots from the vine and are often supported on a trellis and grow horizontally to the trunk. Canes are trained and pruned based on the number of buds on the cane in the dormant season. This allows for growers to forecast and manage the fruit growth for the next season.
WineFrog explains Cane Training
Cane training is a practice using different techniques that wine grape growers use to direct the growth of the canes. During the 1860’s cane training became popular after studies were published French agronomist, Dr. Jules Guyot. Canes are the mature shoots of the vine that have hardened to wood and turned brown, the canes produce the buds for the fruit of the vine. Cane training uses pruning, trellising and other training techniques to guide the direction of the vine growth.
Pruning is a permanent removal of the cane, trellising directs the way the cane grows and training can include a trellis or wire but has to make sense for harvesting and pruning. Canes are trained most often using pruning in the winter (the dormant season). In certain wine regions, regulations regarding specific varietals can specify the way the canes are pruned and how many buds are left on the cane that determines the fruit harvest for the following year.
