Phyllostachys aurea rhizome barrier

I am currently digging a trench out so that I can install a rhizome barrier for Phyllostachys aurea bamboo. At the moment, the trench is 31' (long) x 3' (wide) by 2' (deep). I've got about 24 feet left to go. The rhizome barrier I'm planning to use is 24" tall (some say wide) and is 30mil plastic. I figured it would be best to check on the height before purchasing. Obviously I do NOT want to ever dig a whole like this again, but for a little over a day of digging, not too bad.

Should I consider the 30" height? Or any thicker plastic? This bamboo I'm transplanting seems pretty small, and I can hardly imagine the rhizomes dipping that far under the ground or penetrating 30mil plastic. My soil in the area I'm planting is rich organic at the top (it's a semi-wooded area next to my back fence) but turns into sand pretty quickly beneath that. At around 24" the sand turns into a gravel-like sandy substance that's very hard to dig through (I suspect it's not exactly rhizome friendly). Plus I know to install the barrier at a 15 degree angle to encourage the rhizomes to go up, so they can be trimmed if they try to escape. I'm using Phyllostachys aurea because it's cheap (free for transplant around here) and I like the look it'll provide as a nice screen to the back of my property.

Thoughts or advice?

Thanks,
John

Here's some info from the American Bamboo society...they say a hole 2-3 ft deep, with a barrier at least 40 mil thick (if you use plastic) which sticks up an inch or two above the ground. Your hole sounds deep enough (although at the lower end), but I'd consider getting thicker plastic and make sure you'll have some of the barrier extending above the ground. I don't have any personal experience to say that 30 mil plastic wouldn't work, but since you only want to do this once I'd probably follow the Society's suggestion to be on the safe side. http://www.americanbamboo.org/GeneralInfoPages/ControllingBamboo.html

Thanks, after thinking on it more, I think I'm going to go with 30" and 60mil plastic. Given this is a semi-wooded area, I would like to make sure I'm keeping the tree roots out and the bamboo rhizomes in. 60mil should do the trick, and the extra 6 inches should be an extra preventive step. Thanks for the link.

I'm so glad I popped in over here. I am considering planting some bamboo as a privacy screen this spring. I came to look for answers about containment. DG is sooo great. If need to know something just ask or look you will find it :)
It's all right here. I love this place. Off to plan now.

Just FYI - I posted photos of the completed project in this topic: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/826787/

We ended up going with 30" tall and 60mil thickness. Personally I think the thickness was a bit overkill once I received and installed it - I can't imagine anything short of re-bar and a hammer puncturing that plastic.