The problem is that it takes about ten years for bamboo seeds to grow into usable bamboo. Compounding this problem is the farmers 'practice of cutting down bamboo stalks when they start to flower before the seeds have formed. Mistaking sprouts for grass and uprooting them further reduces the number of sprouts that reach maturity.
「問題是，靠種籽發芽，可能要十年沒有竹材用；」呂錦明說：「加上農民的耕種習慣﹘﹘一見開花就砍，很多種籽根本還沒成熟；有時好不容易成苗了，還會因為幼竹看來像草，而被斬『草』除根。」