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lsmcw

Kudzu

lsmcw
14 years ago

My Mother has a ravine on her property that is covered in kudzu and has climbed into the trees. It is too steep to mow. Does anyone know of a way to get rid of this stuff? Does anyone know of a landscaper who can get rid of it? We need to do something before it eats the house. Linda

Comments (8)

  • daffodillady
    14 years ago

    If ya know someone with goats-they would clean it up for you.

  • catbird
    14 years ago

    Rots a' ruck!! If you figure that one out, be sure to let us all know. If it were accessible, you might be able to gradually cut it back and spray new growth with Roundup over several years till the roots finally give up. If it's in a steep ravine, though even goats might not be able to get at it.

    My uncle planted(!) some 65 years ago not long after it was brought to this country for erosion control along highways and for cattle feed. He took us out to see his field and talked about how much his cows loved it. The problem was that they couldn't eat it fast enough to keep it under control. It got so big and tough they couldn't eat it and the vines got so big the cows got tangled up in them. If they had stood still long enough, it would have buried them! Needless to say, he rued the day he planted the stuff and I'm not sure he ever got rid of it. It may have overrun that end of the county by now.

    Anyway, here are a couple of websites with some interesting and maybe helpful information about kudzu and ways to attack it. Google will turn up a lot more. Let us know if you get anywhere with it.

    Controling Kudzu Without Herbicides

    Here is a link that might be useful: Kudzu

  • tsmith2579
    14 years ago

    I read an article from the Georgia Dept. of Tranportation and UGA about an experiment about spraying a right of way with Round-Up. The Georgia DOT plowed up a 3/4 acre plot which was covered with kudzu and hauled off everything they could rake up. UGA waited a couple of weeks and came back to spray Round-Up on any green sprouts. UGA sprayed the area several times a year for about 10 years and the kudzu kept coming back. They concluded that Round-Up would help control kudzu but would not completely kill it all. May I suggest hiring someone to bush-hog the area and then keep it sprayed. Be sure to spray it in August when it starts to bloom to keep it from putting on more seeds. BTW, did you know you can pick the blooms and make kudzu-grape jelly. Kudzu blooms have a grape taste and fragrance. Just Google kudzu blossom jelly.

  • catbird
    14 years ago

    Plowing the stuff up was apparently a mistake. They just wound up with a lot more disconnected roots sending up shoots. Cutting it off at the base (eg bush-hogging it) might leave fewer growth points to attack.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    14 years ago

    Seriously....about the goats. They're being used as tools to get kudzu under control in many southern states. It would be WELL worth your time to investigate (perhaps via your local extension service) partnerships that may exist in Alabama. If your extension office doesn't know anything, go straight to the universities (Tuskegee, AAMU, UofA, etc.

  • plumpurple
    14 years ago

    We also have Kudzu creeping from the woods - over the fence and everything else in its path - onto our property.

    You might consider Crossbow herbicide for your Kudzu problem. Ruralking's website was the best price we've found.

    Product description says:
    Great for non-crop areas such as fence rows, edges of wooded areas, etc. Kills all types of undesireable trees, such as Mulberry, Sumac and woody plants. Briars (Raspberries), Poison Ivy, Thistles & all types of Broadleaf weeds. Kudzu, Bamboo.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Crossbow Herbicide Weed & Brush Killer

  • bailecz
    14 years ago

    I had a full backyard of it on a hillside. It almost came up to my waist. You will not believe it, but I did mow over / thru it with my '79 push mower. Slowly but surely I knock out the whole yard. Then started digging the deep roots out by hand...for 2yrs. I had some roots 5 inches in diameter. I sliced them, then injected the cross section with 'brush b gone' using a syring needle. The root system would totally rot. I then simply kept the few remaing sprouts cut.
    In summary, it takes an all out battle.

  • daffodillady
    14 years ago

    I ran across a recipe for kudzu and that led to this search. Deep fried, tea, jelly, greens, salad, candy, starch, and more. They are using the vines for woven baskets and other art work, making homemade paper, using bales of it to insulate houses, as medicine, for clothing. Hummmmm- can't beat it, might as well eat it- LOL!!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Recipes and more with Kudzu

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