Hatchet Works On KUDZU, "The Vine That Ate The South", & A PITA Up North TOO!

[joejeweler]

I'm starting this thread as a warning to many, who may very well have this crap slowly invading their land, and will eventually take over everything. Even TREES are no match for the mighty stranglehold of it's woody vines!

If you want a valid reason to own SEVERAL Axes, Hatchets, Machete's, Khukri, Knives, and Saws,......then THIS plant is the reason you can use to explain the cash outlays for all the above,.... to the "misses"!

And I'm sure I'm not alone in finding the dreaded "Kudzo" vine a real PITA to keep in check. What the hell were the gooberment leaders thinking by allowing this crap to come in from Asia, as an "ornamental plant" to shade porches no less! That's what TREES are for!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu_in_the_United_States

QUOTE from above link, and worth reading entirely:

"The kudzu plant was introduced to the United States in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.[5][6][12] Kudzu was introduced to the Southeast in 1883 at the New Orleans Exposition. The vine was widely marketed in the Southeast as an ornamental plant to be used to shade porches,...."


I was out today, AGAIN, slowly working my way thru this crap, and I was literally shocked at the strength and stranglehold the Kudzo can exert on just about everything else growing in your yard. Last year I removed a LOT of vines from a Pine tree in front, and a few other trees that were struggling. The Kudzo not only grabs a tight hold on your trees and bushes, it's plentiful leaf structure also blocks out the sun the other plants need to grow and remain healthy.

I noticed one maple tree was already dead this year, and I cut it down today with a hatchet. But I was literally aghast when I came across another tree that has been attacked,....over what I suspect has been a few years and I just missed it. (buried behind the leafy growth of you guessed it,....even MORE Kudzu! )

One limb in particular of this smaller tree (about 10" diameter), had a limb at about neck high, that clearly shows why the Kudzu is so dangerous! Once the vines wrap around your tree branches, It literally prevents the tree from growing normally. I was AMAZED!!!

You would think a growing tree could break the stranglehold of the vines, but that simply doesn't happen. The Kudzu is the winner and undisputed champion!

After cutting out this lower branch, I decided to save it as a warning to myself to keep up the fight. With a great deal of difficulty I started to unwrap the Kudzu, to show how deep the vines can get within a branch. This tree branch literally had to grow AROUND the Kudzo.

Some pictures:





This tree limb is about 1-1/2 inches in diameter, and the Kudzu reached a depth of about HALF of that,.....Unreal!



This stuff is the plant version of a powerful Boa Constrictor, whose clamping power belies it's relatively modest size.



This is the limb right after I cut it out, showing the regular and complete "wrapping" this vine is known for.



.......and after a short section of Kudzu was unwrapped to take the previous depth of damage close up pictures. (on the back side of the limb here, so not visible in this photo)



Look at how DEEP the Kudzu has worked within the tree limb,....Unreal!





Here's one of many bushes that have been overrun with this crap,....will get started on it later today:



....and a few more problem areas:

 

[MrFixIt]

Kudzu can be "controlled" with 7 percent solution of weed killer (RoundUp).

The roots have been found (down here in my neck of the woods at least) as deep as 6 feet. The tubers can reach a diameter of 2'.

Good luck in your ongoing battle!

 

[SC T100]

It also looks like you have a Vitis and trumpervine infestation as well, and while native, can get out of control! Machetes work really well also...find the right angle and swing away and you'll have a nice pile of debris. The exotic vegetation guys will sometimes hack the stem clean, and coat (immediately) the stump with an herbicide, which kills both the above ground and below ground structures.

 

[dogboye]

Apparently the tender vines and leaves at the end of the kudzu shoots can be eaten, and apparently are pretty good. Not that THAT's a reason to have it around.

 

[joejeweler]

Kudzu can be "controlled" with 7 percent solution of weed killer (RoundUp).

The roots have been found (down here in my neck of the woods at least) as deep as 6 feet. The tubers can reach a diameter of 2'.

Good luck in your ongoing battle!

I tried about a few gallons of Round Up maybe 4 or 5 years ago on the leaves of just the parts of the neighbors Kudzu that was growing over my fence,......and it slowed it down for a short while, but didn't kill it. The part I hit was just a fraction (15-20% maybe?) of the entire area, so not surprising it didn't wipe it out. I may try it again this year, and maybe keep up at it a bit longer.

One of the problems with this crap is that it grows under fences, and no matter how well I try to keep up on it, it crawls back from the neighbors on 3 sides to my property. One section I believe is owned by a nearby power station, and is generally overgrown with this.

I also learned recently (from that article link I posted earlier), that this stuff HAS to be totally destroyed or burned to prevent the cut pieces from re-rooting. Previously I had just thrown the pieces I cut off over the fence into a vacant wooded section. City ordinances prevent burning trash in the yard,......so maybe i'll look into a wood chipper,....IF that won't allow it to grow back???

I also learned why this stuff grows SO well and rather fast. While most weeks and plants need nitrogen in the SOIL to grow well,.....KUDZU has the ability to convert Nitrogen from the AIR into a form it can use and grow really fast! WTF?

It also looks like you have a Vitis and trumpervine infestation as well, and while native, can get out of control! Machetes work really well also...find the right angle and swing away and you'll have a nice pile of debris. The exotic vegetation guys will sometimes hack the stem clean, and coat (immediately) the stump with an herbicide, which kills both the above ground and below ground structures.

Thanks for the tip,....I'll look into those as well. I was pretty sure there were other things going on, and now when I go in I'll wear some gloves and long pants. The last few times I was itching on my extremities after hacking away a short time.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Sounds like a billhook would be just the thing for that crap.

 

[MrFixIt]

I tried about a few gallons of Round Up maybe 4 or 5 years ago on the leaves of just the parts of the neighbors Kudzu that was growing over my fence,......and it slowed it down for a short while, but didn't kill it. The part I hit was just a fraction (15-20% maybe?) of the entire area, so not surprising it didn't wipe it out. I may try it again this year, and maybe keep up at it a bit longer.

One of the problems with this crap is that it grows under fences, and no matter how well I try to keep up on it, it crawls back from the neighbors on 3 sides to my property. One section I believe is owned by a nearby power station, and is generally overgrown with this.

I also learned recently (from that article link I posted earlier), that this stuff HAS to be totally destroyed or burned to prevent the cut pieces from re-rooting. Previously I had just thrown the pieces I cut off over the fence into a vacant wooded section. City ordinances prevent burning trash in the yard,......so maybe i'll look into a wood chipper,....IF that won't allow it to grow back???

I also learned why this stuff grows SO well and rather fast. While most weeks and plants need nitrogen in the SOIL to grow well,.....KUDZU has the ability to convert Nitrogen from the AIR into a form it can use and grow really fast! WTF?

A lot of people will use more herbicide than is needed. Most of it needs to be mixed in the proper proportions with water to work effectively. Using more than recommended per the label instructions is a waste of money/product and will not give good results.
*Not saying you didn't*
Maybe buy a goat? Goats will eat kudzu up in a short time.
Once most of the growth is eaten by the goat, you can then use herbicide to control further growth.

 

[SC T100]

Thanks for the tip,....I'll look into those as well. I was pretty sure there were other things going on, and now when I go in I'll wear some gloves and long pants. The last few times I was itching on my extremities after hacking away a short time.

It's hard to tell from the pics, so can you post some close-ups of the kudzu leaves or flowers (the flowers are a light-ish purple)? I'll like to see if it grows differently up there than down here in the southeast.

Also, trumpetvine has been known to cause rashes or reactions much like poison ivy. I'd suggest gloves and long sleeves until you know for sure what you react to.

Oh, and I almost forgot...even with annual treatment most exotic vegetation like kudzu will require approximately 5 years of killing it back (and I mean completely back, cut and treated stumps), before the seed source and root structures are exhausted and re-growth won't occur. Good thing that hatchet is a one-time investment.

And I almost wouldn't bother treating the leaves. I say cut the vine at the base and treat the stump (cover the whole cut top) immediately with an herbicide designed for cambium application. You'll use way less chemical and it will be much more effective. You'll still need to clear the main vegetation at least once, but it will be significantly easier each year after.

 

[300Six]

Unfamiliar with this climbing vine. Presumably introduced intentionally or by accident. What's the geographical range of this obnoxious stuff. We're lucky in Canada in that this isn't all that much in the way of intros that are hardy but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be vigilant. Emerald Ash Borer is forecast to strip the entire Countryside of white/black and green ash within the next 5 years. Some of these trees are 4-5 feet across and folks are going to cry when they pack it in.

 

[joejeweler]

It's hard to tell from the pics, so can you post some close-ups of the kudzu leaves or flowers (the flowers are a light-ish purple)? I'll like to see if it grows differently up there than down here in the southeast.

Also, trumpetvine has been known to cause rashes or reactions much like poison ivy. I'd suggest gloves and long sleeves until you know for sure what you react to.

Oh, and I almost forgot...even with annual treatment most exotic vegetation like kudzu will require approximately 5 years of killing it back (and I mean completely back, cut and treated stumps), before the seed source and root structures are exhausted and re-growth won't occur. Good thing that hatchet is a one-time investment.

And I almost wouldn't bother treating the leaves. I say cut the vine at the base and treat the stump (cover the whole cut top) immediately with an herbicide designed for cambium application. You'll use way less chemical and it will be much more effective. You'll still need to clear the main vegetation at least once, but it will be significantly easier each year after.

Thanks for the tips......

I have been trying to locate and chop thru some of the main vine structures (fattest ones nearer the ground), but some are tough to reach with all the other cover around in some areas. Once I can get to them, I think I'll rig an old soda or ice tea bottle and cut off the bottom, and "fit" the original tapered opening to the cut off stump as tight as possible and seal with waterproof tape. Cap the top (previously the bottom) with a plastic bag and tape to slow evaporation of the poison and it may help a lot!

This will create a "funnel" to concentrate UN-healthy doses of killer liquid chemicals at the main stumps, and hopefully the Kudzu will absorb in lethal doses over time.

 

[joejeweler]

Unfamiliar with this climbing vine. Presumably introduced intentionally or by accident. What's the geographical range of this obnoxious stuff. We're lucky in Canada in that this isn't all that much in the way of intros that are hardy but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be vigilant. Emerald Ash Borer is forecast to strip the entire Countryside of white/black and green ash within the next 5 years. Some of these trees are 4-5 feet across and folks are going to cry when they pack it in.

According to Wikipedia (as I included in the 1st post), the Kudzu was most definitely introduced "intentionally" to the USA.

Obviously our neighbors to the north were smarter than our leaders at the time!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu_in_the_United_States

QUOTE from above link, and worth reading entirely:

"The kudzu plant was introduced to the United States in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.[5][6][12] Kudzu was introduced to the Southeast in 1883 at the New Orleans Exposition. The vine was widely marketed in the Southeast as an ornamental plant to be used to shade porches,...."

 

[Liberatus1]

We've got blackberry vines in the Northwest and I think I might trade you for the kudzu, the things just chew you up when you try and trim them.

 

[mmassey338]

A lot of people will use more herbicide than is needed. Most of it needs to be mixed in the proper proportions with water to work effectively. Using more than recommended per the label instructions is a waste of money/product and will not give good results.
*Not saying you didn't*
Maybe buy a goat? Goats will eat kudzu up in a short time.
Once most of the growth is eaten by the goat, you can then use herbicide to control further growth.

If you get a goat, be aware they will eat everything they can reach, but they don't much care for grass. They love the ornamentals your wife has planted. All of them. Down to the root.