What?
I thought bamboo is a fast growing thing, and it's easy to grow bamboo. Just stick it into the soil in the right conditions and it'll sprout roots and grow. (It can even be grown from seeds.)
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?
Presumably, the seeds from the fruits from the last generation. Though they would certainly take a bit of time.
The seeds from the flowers?
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?