Kudzu
KUDZU Pueraria lobata (pew-RARE-ee-ah lo-BA-ta)
Deciduous vine for full sun to part shade
HEIGHT/SPREAD: Unlimited
SPACING
: Do not plant
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HABIT: Purple pea-shaped flowers. Extremely fast growing, aggressive vine that spreads quickly by underground runners. Leaves 3-6” long on hard, slender, hairy stems. Each leaf has three dark leaflets. Japanese farmers are growing kudzu as a high protein food crop.
CULTURE: Very easy to grow in any soil.
USES: Nitrogen-fixing, fast growing protein source for livestock and compost pile.
PROBLEMS: Spreads too aggressively however, livestock will keep it under control. Most any livestock can help control it because it’s so palateable.
RECOMMENDED CONTROL: This and many other tough undesirable plants are best controlled with physical removal and the use of vinegar and fatty acid products on regrowth.