Can KUDZU Survive NE Winters?

[ralph124c]

Help! A giant Kudzu vine is taking over my back yard! I noticed it in mid-July, and it has now covered 32’ of fence. I have no idea where is came from-could some migrating bird have dropped the seeds? Anyway, will winter kill this thing? I understand that Kudzu has colonized the American South-it is impossible to get rid of.
Does Kudzu have any use *besides draping trees and fences)?

[Stana_Claus]

It will die off during the winter, but will also most likely come back with renewed vigor come springtime.

Kudzu was imported into this country in the 1930’s as a soil erosion control experiment. The experiment proved overly successful (as it usually does when introducing non-native species to a new ecosystem) and Kudzu has flourished in this country to the point it is now considered an insideous nuisance. As for other uses, hiding bodies and annoying the neighbors come to mind.

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

Depends on how far northeast it is, exactly.
http://www.vnps.org/invasive/invpuer.htm

A native of Japan, kudzu was brought to the southeastern United States at the turn of the century for use as a soil stabilizer, animal food, and ornamental vine. Due to its prolific nature and lack of natural insect or disease controls, kudzu quickly became a pest. In 1970 it was listed as a common weed in the south by the Soil Conservation Service. Today, kudzu is spread along the Atlantic coast, north to Illinois and Massachusetts, west to Texas and Oklahoma, and south to Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi where the heaviest infestations occur.

Ralph, you can spray it with glyphosate weed killer–that’s “Roundup”, available wherever fine weedkillers are sold. Since this is evidently going to be a long-term project, I’d buy the big 2-quart jug of concentrate and a refillable sprayer and mix it yourself, it’s a LOT cheaper than buying the itty-bitty ready-to-spray weed spritzers, which are really only designed for a few driveway weeds.

Long-term treatment of heavily infested sites usually requires the application of herbicides over a period of up to five years to inhibit the growth of new shoots. Biodegradable glyphosate herbicides are recommended for control of kudzu in natural areas. Because glyphosate is a systemic, nonselective herbicide that affects all green vegetation, treatments should be carefully timed and applied by trained applicators. The best time for application of these herbicides is at the end of the growing season when the plants are actively transporting nutrients from the leaves and stems to root systems. When applied at the proper time, herbicides are transported to the roots where they kill the entire plant.

Also, FWIW, apparently goats will eat it. I know, like you’re gonna rush right out and buy a goat…
http://www.goatworld.com/articles/stories/kudzu2.shtml

If we don’t hear back from you, we will know that the kudzu got you.

Or the goats.

[photopat]

“Kudzu” shouldn’t survive at all. It’s nothing but that preacher anymore anyway.
We are talking about the comic strip, right?

[truthbot]

ralph, fall may not be the best time to attack the vine. Ideally, applying herbicide should be done when you have a reasonable expectation of two or three rain-free days. And in the fall, growth is slowing down. The faster the vine is growing, the faster the herbicide will kill it. In spring, when new growth is bursting forth in all it’s glory, Roundup will be more effective.

I would also recommend mixing the Roundup (or Crossbow) with a spreader/sticker. Spreader/sticker compounds are inexpensive, and help the herbicide to cling to the leaves, thus insuring a hasty demise.

A judicious fall pruning wouldn’t hurt, either.

~truthbot, who has slayed acres and acres of poison oak and blackberries~