October Anti-Plant of the Month-Kudzu
You might have heard “The vine that ate the South” when it comes to the highly invasive vine, kudzu (Pueraria montana ) which has plagued the southeastern region of the US. Native to Japan and southeast China, kudzu was introduced to the United States in 1876 during the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition as a great ornamental plant with fragrant flowers. During the 1930s and through the 1950s, the Soil Conservation Service promoted it for erosion control, and so it was planted throughout the South. Then things went…well, South.
So, what does a vine taking over Alabama or Mississippi have to do with us, way up here in St. Louis?
EVERYTHING.
Remember when they decided that with our milder winters, Central Missouri could now be moved up an entire hardiness zone? We in the Lou are currently considered zone 6, and now they are talking about raising it again. Remember how you rejoiced because now you could grow crape myrtles and southern magnolias without fear? Well, like everything under Mother Nature’s rule, all things come with a price, and now we get the cons along with the pros of warmer zones. Kudzu is the third horseman of the biological apocalypse for our area.
You might be thinking it’s going to be years before kudzu arrives here, and your garden or rural property is safe. Sorry to say, but it’s already here. In St. Louis, we’ve had a very healthy patch of kudzu thriving in the city for over 10 years now. This patch near Page and Kingshighway in north city just got another leg up when the May 16th tornado felled the massive tree shading the site. Now in full sun, that patch has increased. Kudzu can grow one foot a day in the right conditions! If it can grow neglected for years there, it surely can grow in your well-watered, fertilized, and tended garden.
So what do we do?
First, we educate ourselves. This is the time before things get too out of hand and out of control, like the other invasives, such as honeysuckle and Bradford pear, did.
March ANTI-Tree of the Month-Ornamental/Bradford Pear
October ANTI-Shrub of the Month-Honeysuckle
Learn to recognize the distinct leaves. Kudzu leaves have three leaflets, similar to poison ivy, but with rounded lobes. These are arranged alternately on hairy stems. The grape-scented flowers are purple and grow in upright clusters, followed by elongated, beanlike, fuzzy pods that also grow in clusters.
(The native hogpeanut, Amphicarpaea bracteate, can look similar, but its leaves do not exceed the size of a human hand, and the small hairs on the stems are white and pressed against the stem.)
Kudzu vines can root wherever they touch the ground. Identifying and pulling them before they can get established is the easiest way to prevent spreading, since they can grow up to 100’ long. Where vines are established, the “cut and paint method” is best. Cut the vine as close to the ground as possible in the fall and paint the stump with herbicide. Do not try to broadcast spray a large patch. Broadcast spraying is not effective and does more harm to everything else except the vines. Goats and cattle apparently can eat kudzu to help control it. Continuous mowing can also help, but pulling or killing the entire plant is best, given its extreme, quick invasiveness.
PREVENTION IS THE BEST CONTROL!
-Comments or questions? Email Garden-Lou at gardenloustl@gmail.com
Words and photos by Jo Batzer
© Jo Batzer, garden-lou.com-2025, All rights reserved.
