Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Windsiu wrote:

I planted some ph Bambusoides(madake) and ph Angustas(stone) on both sides of my front yard. They are doing real well then one day the Queen(my wife) said its bad luck to grow bamboo in the front of the house. So I had them transplanted to the back of the houe this April. They are doing well although the Angustas (chop stick size) is not growing as fast as I want them to be. As for the bambusoides, two out of 3 new 1/4 inch shoots died. Hopefully they can grow into full flute size in 5 years. However, the front yard ones, which I thought was all removed, started to shoot up also. So I had to spend time cut them down as they shoot up. I can see the trouble every spring.

Since bamboo is a grass, its roots spread underground and new plants pop up. You must have missed a few bigger root nodes when moving them to the back and unless you really start digging around where they're popping up, you're probably right -- trouble every spring.

As for having bamboo in one's front yard, how is that 'bad luck'? And why didn't your wife mention this little gem of wisdom when you were planting them? In my own experience, many people here in Taiwan are superstitious about various plants. For example, in my previous apartment building, I potted 5 nice groups of plants and placed them in front of the elevator. They weren't in anyone's way, were chosen for a lack of dropped leaves, and I got a few compliments by some of the residents. Needless to say, my floor was the only one with plants. And yet, some people left trash in the pots. (I guess I'm accustomed to causing self-suffering...) One resident (I never did find out who) decided that one of the plants with a large bulb at the base and long, pointed grass-like leaves (like a spider plant) needed to be trimmed! Of course, the leaves of this type of plant will slowly brown and die if the leaf tips are cut. Either this person didn't know that or was trying to send a message (which I kind of doubt). Later, my boss' wife told him that one of the plants at our school should be taken out because a student told her that pointed leaves in the workplace or home are 'bad luck'. I guess that resident was trying to improve our luck. Regardless, stop the madness.

(Sorry for the rant.)

Zak

He also has the older varieties that have been introduced mostly during the 40's and 50's.

He must have quite the green thumb, as I'd heard that most groves experienced a die off during the '70's.