Craig Cowing

The issue here is not whether or not he has a right to his opinions. Of course he does. But so do I, and so does anyone else. But, he is quoted in a major publication making inaccurate statements about bonsai. I don't take issue with whether or not he likes bonsai. I really don't care whether he likes them or not.

I take issue with two things:

1) the Chinese foot-binding thing. This comparison is old, dating back well before 1900. We all know that our trees do not have feelings. They don't scream every time we prune a branch or a root, or defoliate the tree. I also take issue with this because it is a reference to another Asian culture, and gives the perception that this is just another way in which people from Asia are cruel. He lumps together Asian cultures which have something in common, but which are also quite different. He doesn't compare confining a tree to a pot to the former Western practice of forcing women to wear corsets, which displaced their internal organs, made it difficult for them to breath, and even distorted their ribcages, causing all sorts of difficulty, not to mention pain. No, he mentions a now discarded (thankfully) practice from China. In addition, he assumes that bonsai is still an Asian art. Obviously it started there, but judging from the range of people who practice bonsai around the world, that isn't the case anymore.

2) as Rob Kempinski pointed out on the IBC, he is also inaccurate in his statement about root pruning, saying that we cut off all but the youngest roots. That's nonsense. You cut off the new roots *first* to encourage root growth closer to the trunk.

I'll say it again--he has every right to his opinions. But I'll argue with him anywhere about making inaccurate statements that mislead people.

Craig Cowing
Orange Co. NY
Zone 5b+

__________________
I'm not finished yet, neither are my trees.

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