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by wodenokoto 2579 days ago
Growing and flowering are two different things.

As the article mentions, some types of bamboo will flower only once every 100 odd years. When they do, they pollenate each-other and grow fruits and die.

In some parts of the world rats will feasts on these fruits, and rodent populations will explode, contributing to the "Bad Omen".

> Just stick it into the soil in the right conditions

When all the bamboo decides to flower and die at the same time, what exactly are you planning to stick in the ground?

3 comments

> When all the bamboo decides to flower and die at the same time, what exactly are you planning to stick in the ground?

Presumably, the seeds from the fruits from the last generation. Though they would certainly take a bit of time.

From what I can gather, it appears that a large amount of industry in Japan relies (or did at some time) on the long flowering cycle causing continual growth of the bamboo stalks, only further complicated by the cloning process that likely cuts from the same plants.
> When all the bamboo decides to flower and die at the same time, what exactly are you planning to stick in the ground?

The seeds from the flowers?

> When all the bamboo decides to flower and die at the same time, what exactly are you planning to stick in the ground?

Hm, maybe keep saplings inside when you see the flowers growing?

Or try to cut off the flowers to prevent the die-off?

Okay, maybe that's a lot of work, and no one prepared for that?