Rhizomes of the bamboo plant, those underground assets that enables a grove to spread, will travel away from the grove and toward the plastic barrier. These rhizomes can grow several inches a week and several feet each growing season. When they reach the barrier, they stop and send runners each way. These runners circle your barrier and become a rhizome "highway" as in the photos below.

These rhizomes must be removed, and to do so usually destroys the plastic barrier. The grove has become root bound within the containment.

In addition, when the rhizomes circling your "barrier" send up culms or canes, they only have soil and roots on one side. These plants tend to fall over in the wind, rain, or snow, and they can break the plastic when they do so.

Another issue with plastic is that shoots can actually grow right through it, as in the photos below:

As you can see above, the shoot went right through the plastic and actually ripped the plastic to the left of the shoot. Another close-up image below.

90% of our work contracts include extracting bamboo because of failed plastic "barriers".