# WANTED ....Kudzu seeds (and all about Kudzu -angie)



## UdderlySaanens

I am wanting some Kudzu seeds. Anyone have any ?


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## agmantoo

http://www.kudzukingdom.com/new_page_4.htm


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## sullen

Kudzu seeds? That reminds me of a sign near a military school in NC, "free kudzu, all you can eat". Just go down south for some.


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## Tater'sPa

UdderlySaanens said:


> I am wanting some Kudzu seeds. Anyone have any ?


Not many to be found around here right now but I can get all you could want later this summer


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## second_noah

Wow! We're usually trying to get rid of the stuff down here! Never heard of anyone who actually WANTED it....you do know that once it grows it becomes a civilization unto itself?


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## Tater'sPa

second_noah said:


> Wow! We're usually trying to get rid of the stuff down here! Never heard of anyone who actually WANTED it....you do know that once it grows it becomes a civilization unto itself?


 :haha: If ya can't beat it, might as well join it.....We have made baskets from the vines, jelly from the blossoms & eaten the roots.
It is kinda scary to see it take over like it does


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## Tater'sPa

[/QUOTE]we've got a batch of wine, fermenting right now, and i'm trying to make some extract, for making candy.


> Ohh, I've not thought about wine. I bet that would be quite tasty


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## vickiesmom

what on earth is a uidzu, and where does it grow...any pictures?we've got a batch of wine, fermenting right now, and i'm trying to make some extract, for making candy.


> Ohh, I've not thought about wine. I bet that would be quite tasty


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## unioncreek

From everything I have read about kudzu, I would do a little research to see what you are getting into. I have friends in the south east that can't get rid of it now that it is growing all over. It has even killed trees by smother them out. It may even be on the noxious weed list in some states so I would also check that out.

Bobg


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## Tater'sPa

Here ya go  
The Amazing Story of Kudzu


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## second_noah

vickiesmom said:


> what on earth is a uidzu, and where does it grow...any pictures?


Kudzu is a vine that grows mainly in the southern US(?) I believe, and it shows NO mercy to anyone or anything. I believe it's a non-native plant and the only thing that will actually kill it are some type of asian beetle, but that's a no go as well because they also eat a lot of other things that we WANT to keep alive. At least that's what I've always been told.

Kudzu takes over hillsides and gulleys, billboards, pretty much anything within a 2 mile radius of it's roots!  hehe You can't dig it up, you can't burn it, you can't kill it with weed killer. It's invincible. It's like posion ivy, but without the itch! 

I've never heard of anyone actually making anything with it though. How VERY cool!  

Here's a GREAT page with some kudu info and lots of pictures:
http://www.jjanthony.com/kudzu/


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## ellebeaux

IMHO, I'd think carefully before getting kudzu, while it may not be a nuisance to you, it will be very aggressive and outcompete your native plants. And your neighbors'! 

Beaux


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## terriv

Please do not bring Kudzu into an area where it isn't already. My particular county doesn't have a lot of it but other counties here in Mississippi are totally ruined by it. The land is useless, everything is dead, smothered, worthless. You can not kill it. You can not walk where it grows. It takes over hundred year old oaks, and power poles and lines, and hills and gullies. It will kill everything and make your property (and all your neighbor's property) worthless.










Pretty from the road, but don't try to get out. Those vines are probably snarled 8 feet deep.


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## terriv

ROFL at seeing this book on one of the linked websites. Yep, that's the next county over from me. Didn't know there was a book.


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## backwoods

You ARE kidding, right??? Nobody, but Nobody WANTS kudzu, also known as the "mile-a-minute" vine. That's because it grows a mile in a minute!!!! We had some in east Tn and dh sprayed it, burned it, dug it up, and started all over again the next spring, JUST to keep it from spreading further. It is to the earth, what mouse fleas were to the plagues. Your neighbors will never, ever, speak to you again, if they know you brought it there on purpose!!! So be forewarned!!!!


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## vickiesmom

Yikes...that is pretty scary stuff...and somebody wants this stuff? LOL









backwoods said:


> You ARE kidding, right??? Nobody, but Nobody WANTS kudzu, also known as the "mile-a-minute" vine. That's because it grows a mile in a minute!!!! We had some in east Tn and dh sprayed it, burned it, dug it up, and started all over again the next spring, JUST to keep it from spreading further. It is to the earth, what mouse fleas were to the plagues. Your neighbors will never, ever, speak to you again, if they know you brought it there on purpose!!! So be forewarned!!!!


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## UdderlySaanens

I don't want it myself because I don't want to get it started even though the protein content in it is GREAT for the goats. A friend of mine (Kenny) who owns about 22 acres wants to get some of it started on his place for his goats. I have told him of the damage Kudzu can cause but he don't think it will get that out of hand because the goats will eat it down.


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## oz in SC

On the way up to our land in NC,we pass entire areas COVERED(like in the pic above) with the stuff....

It dies back in Winter I guess but then comes back better than ever.

I wonder if you could doze the land down to bare earth and then pile the trash into a pile and burn it???


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## tnborn

UdderlySaanens said:


> I am wanting some Kudzu seeds. Anyone have any ?


People down here would love to give away vines.
It is such a problem. It is extremely invasive.I can give you all you want.


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## second_noah

oz in SC said:


> On the way up to our land in NC,we pass entire areas COVERED(like in the pic above) with the stuff....
> 
> It dies back in Winter I guess but then comes back better than ever.
> 
> I wonder if you could doze the land down to bare earth and then pile the trash into a pile and burn it???



I don't think you could get down deep enough, and I dunno if you could even actually get INTO it, the stuff grows so deep. Perhaps you could blast it out with dynamite, and well maybe find an emerald or gold mine while you're at it!  You know NC was home of the 1st gold rush in the US!  And there's an emerald mine not far from my house too!


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## Cindy in KY

What if Kenny sells his goats? And hey, tell him goats are only SO tall. Is he going to teach the Alpines to climb trees too? Hey Lisa, tell Kenny to go up 31-W, to the top of Radcliff, and there on the west side, just past Knox Ave, there is tons of it going up the hillsides. Hope no seeds fall out of his pocket next time he comes up here to see what I got for sale! He is still trying to talk me out of my ducks.


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## UdderlySaanens

Cindy in KY said:


> What if Kenny sells his goats? And hey, tell him goats are only SO tall. Is he going to teach the Alpines to climb trees too? Hey Lisa, tell Kenny to go up 31-W, to the top of Radcliff, and there on the west side, just past Knox Ave, there is tons of it going up the hillsides. Hope no seeds fall out of his pocket next time he comes up here to see what I got for sale! He is still trying to talk me out of my ducks.


I don't know what he would do if he sold the goats but after all the years he has been into them I don't see him staying out of them for long, do you ? I guess he figures the goats will eat them from as high as they can reach down to the ground, I really don't know what he is thinking on this matter, ask him next time you talk to him. He wants your ducks even after he bought ducklings ? Anyway as far as the Kudzu I wouldn't dream of starting it here, I know what it can do and I am sure the neighbors wouldn't be happy with it.


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## Ravenlost

Kudzu can grow over a foot in a 24 hour period. This past Fall I made kudzu jelly. We're planning to make kudzu rolls (like cabbage rolls) for guests this Spring. Now I'm thinking we should go into the kudzu baling business. Seems to me a person would rather buy a few bales of kudzu than have the stuff growing on their place. Unfortunately, hubby and I bought property with kudzu already well established along one diversion ditch and the channel with forms our north property line. 

Might as well make the best of what we have. Anyone interested in some kudzu bales?


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## marvella

kudzu is excellent forage- 22% protein, it's why i started with goats and pigs in the first place. kudzu, theoretically anyway, can be killed by overgrazing it for 5 years. the pigs helped dig up and eat the roots. it can be bulldozed out of existence, if you remove all the topsoil, but most hillsides can't stand a bulldozer. you still think like a flatlander oz. county agent said where i am is about the northern edge of kudzu, but i think he's full of it, meaning all book learning and no common sense. i have a love/ hate relationship with the stuff. it is a really beautiful plant. on a still night, you can literally hear it grow!


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## dla

Here in Maryland, I believe it isn't legal to sell Kudzu, but a neighborhood near Calvert Cliffs received permission to plant it because the erosion from the cliffs into the Chesapeake Bay is dangerous and rapid. Evidently the Kudzu vine is the only thing able to keep up with the changes in the soil there.
My sister-in-law wants some for her cliff-side property also.
They have lost twenty feet of property since they moved in eight years ago.

She said one morning they looked out the window and half of their yard had fallen into the bay.

It would be funnier if this sort of thing didn't also kill folks sometimes.


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## Ravenlost

Y'all do see the house in this picture don't you?



terriv said:


> Pretty from the road, but don't try to get out. Those vines are probably snarled 8 feet deep.


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## southerngurl

Oh my.... I sure didn't...


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## tnborn

UdderlySaanens said:


> I am wanting some Kudzu seeds. Anyone have any ?


Hey,
you are welcome to visit TN and dig all you want. People around here are trying to eradicate it. just be careful, it will spread like wildfire. Hope you can contain it or it will be all over the place.
tnborn.


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## Deborah Stephenson

*PLEASE DO NOT PLANT OR ENCOURAGE THE PLANTING OF* this frankenstein's monster of a plant!!! *Kudzu is actually illegal to plant in many states* - including here in Missouri where I live (a man was fined a hefty amount and threatened with jail time for allowing it to grow on his acreage near the town of Nixa a couple of years ago!)

*This plant is not native and has no natural enemies to keep it in check.* Whatever it's virtues (and I am sure like all things, it has a few) it is not worth the damage it is causing to the native flora of the south. *This is the Gypsy Moth of the plant world! Don't plant it, please!!!* :soap:


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## MsPacMan

UdderlySaanen,


I fully agree with those who advise you not to even think about planting kutzu!


Don't think for a minute that your goats -- no matter how hungry they might be -- can keep up with the growth of that monster plant! 


The picture posted earlier in this thread is for real, UdderlySaanen. There are several places within a mile of my place that are just as covered over with the vine as that picture.


The average mature kudzu ROOT, I have read, is 200+ pounds -- that's considerably heavier than my entire body (even after loading my cargo pant pockets with rocks)! And we're just talking about the root of the plant, my friend.


Clemson University has posted on their agricultural website the procedure for eradicating kudzu off of a piece of land. According to the experts at Clemson, it takes 4 TO 10 YEARS TO ERADICATE KUDZU from a piece of land!!!!


You might think you can control kudzu, but it would be easier to control the raging waters of the Mississippi River at flood time than it is to control kudzu.


I have no idea how many acres of land in my one county alone has been ruined by out of control kudzu, but it is alot of acres, I assure you. It's really a shamed too, since so many people desire a piece of land to call their own today. It would be so nice if there was a way to rescue the land from the kudzu, but it is all but impossible to do.


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## UdderlySaanens

I found this info on a site and wanted to share it with those who have asked.... Just what the heck is kudzu anyhow? 
It's a bean vine. The legume, Pueraria thunbergiana, to be exact. The green scourge, the mile-a-minute vine, the drop-it-and-run vine, it grows like a Kentucky Wonder green bean plant on steroids, with a stalk nearly as large as the one that Jack climbed. Propagating at the rate of a foot (or more!) each day, kudzu is an awesome beast. Folklore has it that Southern mothers will keep a close eye on their children during the summer months to prevent them from being choked to death in their sleep by a wayward kudzu vine that has crawled through the bedroom window.

A native of China and Japan, the kudzu plant is a coarse-growing perennial with trifoliate leaves that have coarsely lobed leafets. It produces large, wisteria-like, purple flowers on long racemes, and beans in flat, papery pods covered with a tawny down. Kudzu plants produce long lateral runners that generate roots at intervals. Being a member of the bean family (Fabaceae), bacteria in the roots fixes atmospheric nitrogen, thus increasing soil fertility wherever it grows. Were the vines not killed by frost, the entire South would soon become a single huge kudzu patch. As it is, the two million acres of kudzu now present in the South grow back from the roots each spring. 

Initially a novelty, the plant played a major role in the fight against soil erosion. Despite its successes, kudzu fell into disfavor shortly after the Second World War. The vine's fall from grace was as rapid and complete as its rise. The problems kudzu posed to the South were created solely by humans. The plant's propagation throughout the region was by plan, not by accident. The demands and hopes that were placed on the plant were only partially justified. In a sense, kudzu was the plant that got away from agriculturists.


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## thornapplehill

Do you all think that it could be grown AND managed up north? I'm just south of Elmira and in zone 5. I remember going to visit family in NC when I was young and I brought back a kudzu clipping to try and grow it up here. I was picked on a little for trying it... then alot when I killed it!  I didn't know much about horticulture back then. But it is a useful plant albeit aggressive. Kinda like duckweed. Anyone grow it this far north?


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## margaret jensen

If you really want to try it, do so. It would grow for the summer anyway in your area, but woe is you if it gets out of hand. I dont't know of a source for seeds, and have no idea of propagating it. Maybe someone has it on their property and would send you a cutting or two.


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## TabletopHomestead

www.horizonherbs.com has it.


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## Becky H.

I agree on the planting of kudzu. It grows so fast and well meant intentions can cause serious harm to native flora and fauna.

There is a black joke locals tell around here... never wreck a car into a ditch full of kudzu. they will never find you. funny joke huh? not.

kudzu dies back in the winter down to the roots but the extensive vine system remains. next years shoots grow over the old vines, getting thicker and deeper and it kills everything out in it's path. It does grow as fast as the person above already stated.

I've seen actual houses that look like the picture above... it's quite common down here in the south. 

Kudzu is not native to America, it's an Asian plant. It was imported historically to prevent erosion and everyone considers it a dire mistake. Don't plant kudzu please. *America has too many native plants that will serve equal purpose without such destruction.*


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## thornapplehill

_America has too many native plants that will serve equal purpose without such destruction._

You're probably right where you are down south, though most livestock forages are not native to here. I think it has as much potential as alfalfa (also from asia), this far north. But, I've decided to stick with comfrey (a European plant) for now. Maybe I'll give Kudzu a try next time I take a trip south. I can't see actually buying seeds for the stuff, despite its great potential.

Shawn


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## mensamule

I lived in AL with my folks for about a year back in the 60's and I remember hearing about kudzu but don't remember it being such a problem then. Maybe because we were on post most of the time.
I read someplace that they were having good luck keeping it out of a cemetery by using sheep. Apparantly sheep really like the stuff and thrive on it. 
I'm in the Missouri Ozarks now, I don't think it grows here.


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## Ann Mary

Deborah Stephenson said:


> *PLEASE DO NOT PLANT OR ENCOURAGE THE PLANTING OF* this frankenstein's monster of a plant!!!
> 
> I agree! Please remember that just because someone has goats or pigs that will eat it that doesn't mean the next owner will have the same animals to keep it in check and then they inherit a huge problem....and I'm pretty sure it doesn't stay within property lines!


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## Tango

A few county governments in FL have hired goat herds to eat up the vine along county roads and in parks. My own herd has made short order of all the kudzu in their area and a mobile pen would eliminate all the kudzu from my property by my goats. Goats love the stuff and I've fed it to ill or stressed goats too. They won't eat anything else but they'll eat kudzu. I'm not a proponent of planting it where it doesn't currently grow, obviously however the fields in those pictures never had a goat population or much in the way of maintenance to begin with. Before my goats, I cut back a bunch of it with lopers, shears, and my bare hands. No way it was going to overtake my place. It grows well and quickly but it doesn't spread overnight.


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## Emily Anne

Does anyone have recipies to use kudzu? Some people mentioned making things out of it. We do not have kudzu on our property but we pass alot on the road, thats the south.


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## homeschoolmama

UdderlySaanens said:


> I don't want it myself because I don't want to get it started even though the protein content in it is GREAT for the goats. A friend of mine (Kenny) who owns about 22 acres wants to get some of it started on his place for his goats. I have told him of the damage Kudzu can cause but he don't think it will get that out of hand because the goats will eat it down.



Sorry for this but, LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! I lived in Mississippi and have traveled the south a lot. So I would tell your friend what every one else is saying and don't do it. If goats could control this stuff , don't you think that everyone in the deep south that is affected by it would have a million goats? Please don't spread this stuff around any further.REALLY.


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## Becky H.

I know. Seems we can't warn them enough. Interesting conversation I had with my husband the other day. 

My husband owns a backhoe. He leveled off some land for a fellow he met. The kudzu was everywhere on this man's land the backhoe didn't even touch it. Would have had to get that soil under several feet the roots were so thick. 

This fellow claims that his great great grandfather is the man responsible for bringing it into the states from Japan back in late 1800s. The man made my husband promise not to tell anyone his name and kudzu in same sentence!!!  People here are so ticked about it. He knows it was a mistake even though well intentioned.

It has ruined sooooooo much property. My husband didn't even know we were chatting about kudzu online when he told me this story. I just thought I'd share this interesting story.


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## palani

I had heard that it was Jimmy Carters' mother who brought it back from Africa.

I knew a guy from Wisconsin once who claimed to have a beef with the power company. He planted some of this stuff deep in the woods under some lines to get even. Don't know how it turned out though.


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## Tango

homeschoolmama said:


> If goats could control this stuff , don't you think that everyone in the deep south that is affected by it would have a million goats?


Goats do indeed effectively control Kudzu. Numerous University projects and studies as well as state sponsored projects involve the use of goats, rather than herbicides. The key word here is "control." They will keep it from spreading. They can't however be turned out in one of the kudzu forests where the holes created by the root stock can swallow a person. It takes years for the kudzu to get to the point where it tops trees and kills them. Years of neglecting an area. Land must be managed. Goats. I'm not advocating its sread. But kudzu has very useful applications for the responsible farmer.


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## skruzich

second_noah said:


> I don't think you could get down deep enough, and I dunno if you could even actually get INTO it, the stuff grows so deep. Perhaps you could blast it out with dynamite, and well maybe find an emerald or gold mine while you're at it!  You know NC was home of the 1st gold rush in the US!  And there's an emerald mine not far from my house too!


Auraria, GA was the site of the first major US gold rush. The mines are still in operation.

http://www.adventure-reading.builderspot.com/page/page/288036.htm


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## skruzich

UdderlySaanens said:


> I am wanting some Kudzu seeds. Anyone have any ?


Better check the law, your not allowed to bring a invasive plant such as kudzu into most states. I know that your neighbors are liable to take up arms against you if you do!


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## caballoviejo

After observing its distribution and growth for over a decade I don't consider kudzu much of an invasive weed. Its seeds are usually infertile and have few means of significant diaspory (moving from one place to another). Based on what I've seen, it grows rapidly and covers well but does not spread in the sense of leapfroging to new areas. I see its populations typically limited to those specific sites where it was deliberately planted decades ago for erosion control - which was atrociously bad in areas.

I dont' find it "loosed in the woods" for instance - it is not competitive except in full sun. Its much less impactfull that say bird-dispesed japanese honeysuckle in woods and say bermuda in open areas. I understand its not poisonous. I think there are a great number of much more impactful worse introduced weeds.


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## skruzich

It is listed as a class A noxious weed. It will grow up to a foot a day. One crown can have as many as 30 vines coming from it and the vines are as large as 6" in diametery. It is very invasive as it covers and blankets any forest, building, lightpole, or any other structure that is in its path, and it kills any plantlife it covers. Now what is your definition of invasive!




caballoviejo said:


> After observing its distribution and growth for over a decade I don't consider kudzu much of an invasive weed. Its seeds are usually infertile and have few means of significant diaspory (moving from one place to another). Based on what I've seen, it grows rapidly and covers well but does not spread in the sense of leapfroging to new areas. I see its populations typically limited to those specific sites where it was deliberately planted decades ago for erosion control - which was atrociously bad in areas.
> 
> I dont' find it "loosed in the woods" for instance - it is not competitive except in full sun. Its much less impactfull that say bird-dispesed japanese honeysuckle in woods and say bermuda in open areas. I understand its not poisonous. I think there are a great number of much more impactful worse introduced weeds.


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## ajaxlucy

Does anyone know how far north it has spread? It must not like Indiana winters because I don't think I've ever seen it.


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## skruzich

I saw a map today where it has spread throughout most of the midwest up into pensylvania as well as new york and over towards iowa. The west hasn't been invaded just as yet.


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## Terri

caballoviejo said:


> After observing its distribution and growth for over a decade I don't consider kudzu much of an invasive weed. Its seeds are usually infertile and have few means of significant diaspory (moving from one place to another). Based on what I've seen, it grows rapidly and covers well but does not spread in the sense of leapfroging to new areas. I see its populations typically limited to those specific sites where it was deliberately planted decades ago for erosion control - which was atrociously bad in areas.
> 
> I dont' find it "loosed in the woods" for instance - it is not competitive except in full sun. Its much less impactfull that say bird-dispesed japanese honeysuckle in woods and say bermuda in open areas. I understand its not poisonous. I think there are a great number of much more impactful worse introduced weeds.


I have seen acres of evergreen forests killed by kudzu. I mean trees 50 feet high in a solid stand.


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## caballoviejo

An invasive plant is one that quickly "moves" from one area to another - not one that "grows" only to die back to the root of origin each year. . I stongly doubt that a singe vine (stem) gets anywhere near 6" thick. 

I've seen it 50 ft. high too - on forest margins and telephone poles.

I think the "Kudzu is eating the world" myth is just too fun for folks to pass up.

I could not find Kudzu on the Federal noxious weeds list - which doesn't seem too useful anyway. Come on, they've got every species of Cuscuta on the list. Not very practical.

WAIS Document Retrieval[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 5]
[Revised as of January 1, 2005]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR360]

[Page 506-508]
TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE

CHAPTER III--ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

PART 360_NOXIOUS WEED REGULATIONS

Sec.
360.100 Definitions.
360.200 Designation of noxious weeds.
360.300 General prohibitions and restrictions on the movement of noxious 
weeds; permits.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7711-7714, 7718, 7731, 7751, and 7754; 7 CFR 
2.22, 2.80, and 371.3.
Sec. 360.100 Definitions.

(a) As used in this part, words in the singular form shall be deemed 
to import the plural and vice versa, as the case may require.
(b) As used in this part, the terms as defined in section 3 of the 
Act (7 U.S.C. 2802) shall apply with equal force and effect. In addition 
and except as may be provided otherwise in this part the following words 
shall be construed, respectively, to mean:
Department. The U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Deputy Administrator. The Deputy Administrator of the Plant 
Protection and Quarantine Programs of the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service of the Department, or any other officer or employee 
of the Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs to whom authority has 
heretofore been delegated or may hereafter be delegated to act in his 
stead.
Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs. The Plant Protection and 
Quarantine Programs, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the 
Department.

[41 FR 49988, Nov. 12, 1976]

Sec. 360.200 Designation of noxious weeds.

As authorized under section 412 of the Plant Protection Act (7 
U.S.C. 7712), the Secretary of Agriculture has determined that the 
following plants \1\ or plant products fall within the definition of 
``noxious weed'' as defined in section 403 of the Act (7 U.S.C. 
7702(10)). Accordingly, the dissemination in the United States of the 
following plants or plant products may reasonably be expected to have 
the effects specified in section 403 of the Act:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

\1\ One or more of the common names of weeds are given in 
parentheses after most scientific names to help identify the weeds 
represented by such scientific names; however, a scientific name is 
intended to include all weeds within the genus or species represented by 
the scientific name, regardless of whether the common name or names are 
as comprehensive in scope as the scientific name.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

(a) Aquatic and wetland weeds:

Azolla pinnata R. Brown (mosquito fern, water velvet)
Caulerpa taxifolia (Mediterranean clone)
Eichornia azurea (Swartz) Kunth (anchored waterhyacinth, rooted 
waterhyacinth)
Hydrilla verticillata (Linnaeus f.) Royle (hydrilla)
Hygrophila polysperma T. Anderson (Miramar weed)
Ipomoea aquatica Forsskal (water-spinach, swamp morning-glory)
Lagarosiphon major (Ridley) Moss
Limnophila sessiliflora (Vahl) Blume (ambulia)
Melaleuca quenquinervia (Cav.) Blake (broadleaf paper bark tree).
Monochoria hastata (Linnaeus) Solms-Laubach
Monochoria vaginalis (Burman f.) C. Presl
Ottelia alismoides (L.) Pers.
Sagittaria sagittifolia Linnaeus (arrowhead)
Salvinia auriculata Aublet (giant salvinia)
Salvinia biloba Raddi (giant salvinia)
Salvinia herzogii de la Sota (giant salvinia)
Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitchell (giant salvinia)
Solanum tampicense Dunal (wetland nightshade)
Sparganium erectum Linnaeus (exotic bur-reed)

(b) Parasitic weeds:

Aeginetia spp.
Alectra spp.
Cuscuta spp. (dodders), other than following species:
Cuscuta americana Linnaeus
Cuscuta applanata Engelmann

[[Page 507]]

Cuscuta approximata Babington
Cuscuta attenuata Waterfall
Cuscuta boldinghii Urban
Cuscuta brachycalyx (Yuncker) Yuncker
Cuscuta californica Hooker & Arnott
Cuscuta campestris Yuncker
Cuscuta cassytoides Nees ex Engelmann
Cuscuta ceanothii Behr
Cuscuta cephalanthii Engelmann
Cuscuta compacta Jussieu
Cuscuta corylii Engelmann
Cuscuta cuspidata Engelmann
Cuscuta decipiens Yuncker
Cuscuta dentatasquamata Yuncker
Cuscuta denticulata Engelmann
Cuscuta epilinum Weihe
Cuscuta epithymum (Linnaeus) Linnaeus
Cuscuta erosa Yuncker
Cuscuta europaea Linnaeus
Cuscuta exalta Engelmann
Cuscuta fasciculata Yuncker
Cuscuta glabrior (Engelmann) Yuncker
Cuscuta globulosa Bentham
Cuscuta glomerata Choisy
Cuscuta gronovii Willdenow
Cuscuta harperi Small
Cuscuta howelliana Rubtzoff
Cuscuta indecora Choisy
Cuscuta jepsonii Yuncker
Cuscuta leptantha Engelmann
Cuscuta mitriformis Engelmann
Cuscuta nevadensis I. M. Johnston
Cuscuta obtusiflora Humboldt, Bonpland, & Kunth
Cuscuta occidentalis Millspaugh ex Mill & Nuttall
Cuscuta odontolepis Engelmann
Cuscuta pentagona Engelmann
Cuscuta planiflora Tenore
Cuscuta plattensis A. Nelson
Cuscuta polygonorum Engelmann
Cuscuta rostrata Shuttleworth ex Engelmann
Cuscuta runyonii Yuncker
Cuscuta salina Engelmann
Cuscuta sandwichiana Choisy
Cuscuta squamata Engelmann
Cuscuta suaveolens Seringe
Cuscuta suksdorfii Yuncker
Cuscuta tuberculata Brandegee
Cuscuta umbellata Humboldt, Bonpland, & Kunth
Cuscuta umbrosa Beyrich ex Hooker
Cuscuta vetchii Brandegee
Cuscuta warneri Yuncker
Orobanche spp. (broomrapes), other than the following species:
Orobanche bulbosa (Gray) G. Beck
Orobanche californica Schlechtendal & Chamisso
Orobanche cooperi (Gray) Heller
Orobanche corymbosa (Rydberg) Ferris
Orobanche dugesii (S. Watson) Munz
Orobanche fasciculata Nuttall
Orobanche ludoviciana Nuttall
Orobanche multicaulis Brandegee
Orobanche parishii (Jepson) Heckard
Orobanche pinorum Geyer ex Hooker
Orobanche uniflora Linnaeus
Orobanche valida Jepson
Orobanche vallicola (Jepson) Heckard
Striga spp. (witchweeds)

(c) Terrestrial weeds:

Ageratina adenophora (Sprengel) King & Robinson (crofton weed)
Alternanthera sessilis (Linnaeus) R. Brown ex de Candolle (sessile 
joyweed)
Asphodelus fistulosus Linnaeus (onionweed)
Avena sterilis Linnaeus (including Avena ludoviciana Durieu) (animated 
oat, wild oat)
Carthamus oxyacantha M. Bieberstein (wild safflower)
Chrysopogon aciculatus (Retzius) Trinius (pilipiliula)
Commelina benghalensis Linnaeus (Benghal dayflower)
Crupina vulgaris Cassini (common crupina)
Digitaria scalarum (Schweinfurth) Chiovenda (African couchgrass, 
fingergrass)
Digitaria velutina (Forsskal) Palisot de Beauvois (velvet fingergrass, 
annual conchgrass)
Drymaria arenarioides Humboldt & Bonpland ex Roemer & Schultes 
(lightning weed)
Emex australis Steinheil (three-cornered jack)
Emex spinosa (Linnaeus) Campdera (devil's thorn)
Galega officinalis Linnaeus (goatsrue)
Heracleum mantegazzianum Sommier & Levier (giant hogweed)
Homeria spp.
Imperata brasiliensis Trinius (Brazilian satintail)
Imperata cylindrica (Linnaeus) Raeuschel (cogongrass)
Ischaemum rugosum Salisbury (murainograss)
Leptochloa chinensis (Linnaeus) Nees (Asian sprangletop)
Lycium ferocissimum Miers (African boxthorn)
Melastoma malabathricum Linnaeus
Mikania cordata (Burman f.) B. L. Robinson (mile-a-minute)
Mikania micrantha Humboldt, Bonpland, & Kunth
Mimosa invisa Martius (giant sensitive plant)
Mimosa pigra Linneaus var. pigra (catclaw mimosa)
Nassella trichotoma (Nees) Hackel ex Arechavaleta (serrated tussock)
Opuntia aurantiaca Lindley (jointed prickly pear)
Oryza longistaminata A. Chevalier & Roehrich (red rice)
Oryza punctata Kotschy ex Steudel (red rice)
Oryza rufipogon Griffith (red rice)
Paspalum scrobiculatum Linnaeus (Kodo-millet)
Pennisetum clandestinum Hochstetter ex Chiovenda (kikuyugrass)
Pennisetum macrourum Trinius (African feathergrass)
Pennisetum pedicellatum Trinius (kyasumagrass)
Pennisetum polystachion (Linnaeus) Schultes (missiongrass, thin 
napiergrass)
Prosopis alpataco R. A. Philippi
Prosopis argentina Burkart
Prosopis articulata S. Watson
Prosopis burkartii Munoz
Prosopis caldenia Burkart
Prosopis calingastana Burkart
Prosopis campestris Griseback
Prosopis castellanosii Burkart
Prosopis denudans Bentham
Prosopis elata (Burkart) Burkart
Prosopis farcta (Solander ex Russell) Macbride
Prosopis ferox Grisebach
Prosopis fiebrigii Harms
Prosopis hassleri Harms
Prosopis humilis Gillies ex Hooker & Arnott
Prosopis kuntzei Harms
Prosopis pallida (Humboldt & Bonpland ex Willdenow) Humboldt, Bonpland, 
& Kunth
Prosopis palmeri S. Watson
Prosopis reptans Bentham var. reptans
Prosopis rojasiana Burkart
Prosopis ruizlealii Burkart
Prosopis ruscifolia Grisebach
Prosopis sericantha Gillies ex Hooker & Arnott
Prosopis strombulifera (Lamarck) Bentham
Prosopis torquata (Cavanilles ex Lagasca y Segura) de Candolle
Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) W. Clayton
Rubus fruticosus Linnaeus (complex) (wild blackberry)
Urochloa panicoides Beauvois (liverseed grass)


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## Terri

What I saw was not on the margins. RIP, acres of pine forest.


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## skruzich

Not everything is handled at the federal level but if you wish to have federal level, then try the noxious weed act. It lists Kudzu.

A 5-month-old law should strengthen significantly the fight against invasive weeds in the United States, helping restore native plants and ecosystems nation- wide.

Signed last October by President Bush, the Noxious Weed Control Act enables the Secretary of Agriculture's office to assist eligible weed management agencies in responding to noxious weed problems on public and private lands.

The Act has been noted throughout the 6th annual National Invasive Weeds Awareness Week conference in Washington, D.C., which ends Friday. The conference spotlights problems caused by invasive weeds and other types of invasive vegetation. It also highlights the successes of hundreds of projects designed to curb the spread of invasives.

The conference is sponsored by the Invasive Weeds Awareness Coalition (IWAC), a Washington, D.C.-based coalition dedicated to increasing awareness of invasive weed problems and associated research and management needs.

In the United States alone, invasive plant species displace native species by a rate of 8 to 20 percent each year, often causing serious environmental problems.

A few examples of such menacing invasive weeds include:

# Saltcedar: This aggressive colonizer, also called tamarisk, often forms single-species stands that replace willows, cottonwoods and other native vegetation. A single plant can consume 300 gallons of water a day, lowering groundwater levels and threatening water sources for communities and wildlife alike.

# Kudzu: A highly invasive weed, kudzu currently infests approximately 7 million acres throughout the South. It creates a safety hazard by reducing visibility on highways and causing transmission failures on power lines, while choking trees and any other plant in its way.

# Salvinia: An aquatic weed notorious for dominating slow-moving or quiet freshwaters, its rapid growth, vegetative reproduction and tolerance to environmental stress make it an aggressive, competitive species that negatively affects aquatic environments, boating and other recreational uses, and economies of nearby communities.

Billy Skaggs is Hall County Extension Agent. He can be reached at (770) 531-6988.

Originally published Thursday, March 3, 2005


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## skruzich

Found a host of things showing its considered a noxious weed as well as invasive. Federal law prohibits transportation of it in any form


www.rstc.msstate.edu/projects/fw04.html 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/mrpbs/manuals_guides/fy2001_reference_book/noxiousweeds.pdf
http://www.old-scholls.com/iplants/Plant_Examples.html
Federal Noxious Weed Act

7 USC Â§2802 Definitions. (c) "Noxious weed" means any living stage (including, but not limited to, seeds and reproductive parts) of any parasitic or other plant of a kind, or subdivision of a kind, which is of foreign origin, is new to or not widely prevalent in the United States, and can directly injure crops, other useful plants, or poultry or other interests of agriculture, including irrigation, or navigation or the fish and wildlife resources of the United States or the public health, and includes kudzu (Pueraria lobata Dc).


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## Terri

caballoviejo, a thought has occured to me. It is possdible tht kudzu is stronger in some area than others, because of different climates. What I sas was in Tennessee. Perhaps in your area it *IS* less invasive, though after seeing it in Tennessee I find that hard to imagine.

One year kudzu was growing over the smaller trees by the roadside, then it was growing over the tops of the large trees, then there were only a few branches sticking out of the kudzu, then there was just a sea of lumpy green kudzu.

As I recall, the kudzu sea went perhaps 400 to 600 feet back from the road. It may well have gone farther, but I could not see over the crest of the hill. As far as I COULD see, it was solid kudzu.


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## Becky H.

Ok now that we've identified kudzu is bad news, I thought I'd move on to the other ones that skruzich listed in the links...there are 3 invasive plants in all. Besides Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) there is also Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica) and Soda Apple (Solanum viarum)


And boy I'm glad I decided to look at pics of the other two! I just identified soda apple in my yard! :grump: :grump: :grump: I will have to call the extension office tomorrow and drive it in to them. According to the MS link, I'm waaaay north than where it's already been established in my state. It looks like I caught it in time, growing very close to the house, I'll have to survey the property tomorrow. So far about a dozen close to the house. I've been trying to kill this plant for the last 2 years, because it's prickly VERY prickly, and very hard to kill. It' almost looks like a little tomatillo plant, but it has prickles.




> http://www.rstc.msstate.edu/projects/fw04.html
> http://www.aphis.usda.gov/mrpbs/man...oxiousweeds.pdf
> http://www.old-scholls.com/iplants/Plant_Examples.html


Thank you skruzich for sharing those links. Here is another link to show a good pic of the Soda Apple keeping in mind juvenile foliage looks a little different than adult foliage.
http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=265&fr=1&sts=


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## outofmire

Does kudzu grow on rocky, shallow clayey soil? I've thought about using it for my goats as well...like a single garden bed right where I can watch it. We don't alot of natural browse for our goats because of the shallow soil coupled with the dryer hill conditions.


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## Becky H.

It's illegal to plant it buddy, sorry. Read the links above and not just the posts, although i find it hard to believe anyone would plant such a thing after reading this thread! :bash: 

A better idea instead of you planting it would be to hire out your goats on a place that needs them, not necessarily for kudzu control.

And another option is to relocate if you really want your goats to have kudzu there are plenty of homesteads here that have the problem selling dirt cheap!!!


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## outofmire

I know, but I couldn't resist. kinda fun.


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## cricket

Kudzu was introduced to this country to help with erosion. It DOES NOTHING FOR EROSION. In fact, in places it's made it worse. This vine is everywhere...even NY city. PLEASE don't plant this or let a friend plant it. Goats can't keep up with the growth rate of this plant unless they ate 24/7, which they won't do.


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## linn

Ask someone from Georgia what they think of this plant. It literally takes over and is almost impossible to eradicate. Please think twice before planting Kudzu.


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## Sumatra

cricket said:


> Kudzu was introduced to this country to help with erosion. It DOES NOTHING FOR EROSION. In fact, in places it's made it worse. This vine is everywhere...even NY city.


Really? May I ask where? I've looking for Kudzu seeds or tubers too, except they're nearly impossible to find unless you live somewhere they grow wild.


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## wannabechef

Dont plant this stuff...



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## wannabechef

Oh, not to mention all the kudzu beetles that will cover yoyr home, get in your hair and all over yourself.

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## Fla Gal

Sumatra said:


> Really? May I ask where? I've looking for Kudzu seeds or tubers too, except they're nearly impossible to find unless you live somewhere they grow wild.


They're impossible to find. except in the wild, because it's an invasive species. Your neighbors will not think highly of you if you plant it.

This is just one page that can be found about kudzu:

Kudzu is a highly aggressive, invasive plant that is extremely difficult to control once established. Kudzu is so aggressive it covers and smothers all other plants in its path resulting in solid stands that eliminate native species. Kudzu may cover trees, killing them by blocking out light for photosynthesis, or damaging tree limbs with the weight of the vines. Once established, kudzu can render lands unusable for growing trees or agriculture. The weight of the vines can bring down power lines and collapse buildings.

What should I do if I find one?

Call 1-877-9-INFEST or report online*.*

http://www.invasivespecies.wa.gov/priorities/kudzu.shtml

As wannabechef says, "Don't plant this stuff."


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## chickenista

It's so weird.
This is the second thread about kudzu seeds that has been resurrected from *2005!!*


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## kudzuvine

Since my name is "Kudzuvine" I must reply. I'm in North Mississippi. I had a restaurant called Kudzu Corner CafÃ©. I too make jelly from the blossoms, weave vines for baskets, make kudzu scented soy candles. Have fr ed leaves, etc. Very high in protein. So, I love kudzu...but not on my land. If u want seeds - I can oblige but it will be this summer. It will take over so beware.....Janet


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## Joshie

I am pretty sure your neighbors will hate you if you plant kudzu. Since it is an invasive species it may well be illegal to plant it. In IL we must kill thistle if we see it on our property.


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## sustainabilly

I know UT has been doing research into it's use as a cellulosic ethanol biofuel. In Oak Ridge, near me, they're harvesting it from the electric right-aways. I heard there's a start up biofuel plant that has plans to process it.


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## spacecase0

it took me years to get kudzu seeds, where I live, you just quit watering something to kill it entirely, PM me and I will send you the seeds that I tried so hard to get, just be careful with them and know what you are doing.


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