Control Kudzu in an Organic Garden

Every organic gardener must deal with weeds and invasive plants. For the gardener living in the Southeast, kudzu tops the list of undesirable plants infesting the garden. Kudzu is in a class of its own as an invasive plant. It can grow seven feet per week, and the plant can soar to the canopy of a 60-foot tree if you allow one rootstock to survive.

Control Kudzu Early and Often

Landscape professionals tailor their kudzu treatment according to the age of the plants. Some gardeners claim that for each year the kudzu plant has been growing, you must devote a year to eradicating the plant. So, if kudzu has plagued your garden for eight years, prepare to spend eight years battling the vine before you can achieve complete control. Horticulturists consider ten years to be the ‚”tipping point” for a kudzu stand: if the vine has lived on site for ten years or more, complete control may not be possible with organic methods.

Smother Kudzu

If you have a small kudzu problem in your garden, use physical barriers to control the vines. You can smother the taproots with shingles, thick layers of cardboard or newspaper, or plastic garbage bags. You don’t have to sacrifice gardening room while you wait for your vines to suffocate. Disguise the unsightly shingles or plastic with mulch, and arrange some pots on the mulch for a container garden. Increase the insult to the vines by placing the containers directly on top of the kudzu crowns.

Cut and Spray Kudzu

Kudzu resists many herbicides, and some forestry managers actually recommend and use such toxic methods as diesel fuel combined with chemicals available only by special permit. Organic gardeners must use gentler methods that won’t harm wildlife. Although horticultural vinegar alone is ineffective on kudzu, you can apply this natural herbicide repeatedly to weaken the plants. Cut the kudzu down every other day, and apply horticultural vinegar to the stubs. Don’t use food-grade vinegar; the product must contain at least 20% acetic acid to have any efficacy.

Animals Eat Kudzu

Kudzu is high in protein and starch, making it an excellent grazing plant for various kinds of livestock. If you live in a rural area, consider using goats or sheep to control larger kudzu patches. Their continuous nibbling drains the starch reserves in the deep taproots, weakening the vines. If you consider a livestock cure to be worse than the disease, think about reaping a kudzu harvest for your table. Young leaves are tender, so use them as you would spinach or any other green.

Resource:

Tennessee Department of Agriculture