Kudzu
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Chuck Denney
If this were a B-horror movie instead of a news story, we might title it “The Vine that ate the South.” Native to the orient, kudzu was introduced to the US in the 1800's because someone must have thought it was pretty. Boy, did it take. Kudzu now covers seven million acres in the southeast, and grows about a foot a day when conditions are right.
Dr. Neil Rhodes
“It’s in an area that’s out of its native origin, therefore it has no natural predators. We have a long growing season. We usually have plenty of rainfall during the summer. There’s no disease or insect pests to keep it regulated. So it flourishes.”
Chuck Denney
UT’s Dr. Neil Rhodes says the main problem with kudzu is it chokes other vegetation by blocking sunlight. It’s hard to get rid of because it often grows in hard-to-reach places – like this two hundred foot hillside near downtown Knoxville. You can turn livestock loose on it, or you can spray chemicals to kill it.
At best, we might think of that old sports cliche’ about a star opposing basketball player. We can’t stop him. We can only hope to contain him. Kudzu is a lot like that.
Dr. Neil Rhodes
“A lot of times it boils down to from a practicality standpoint a program just of abatement where you would make a spray application to keep it knocked back, to keep if from invading unaffected areas. The plant will not survive cultivation.”
Chuck Denney
Kudzu will grow just about anywhere, but it really thrives where there are hot summers, mild winters and the soil isn’t too sandy.. Sound familiar? Most of Tennessee is kudzu central.
Kudzu mostly is found along roadways or in forests, but it can infringe on horticulture and landscaping.
Beth Babbit
“So it can become a major homeowner problem because you’re constantly having to hit that with herbicides because there’s really no other way to get rid of it.”
Chuck Denney
On the upside, kudzu does prevent some soil erosion, and may one day even be used for biofuel production. But for now, across Tennessee, kudzu grows, and grows and grows - and there’s not a lot we can do about it.
Dr. Neil Rhodes
“I think we need to take eradication out of our vocabulary because it is well-established, and in some areas it’s just impractical or horrifically expensive to do anything about. So yeah, we’re going to have to live with some of it.”
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NOTE: Contact the UT Extension office in your county for more information about treating the spread of kudzu. |
