How Can I Control Kudzu?

Do you want to control kudzu with mechanical control?

Do you want to control kudzu by grubbing?

Do you want to control kudzu with chemical control?

Do you want to control kudzu with cut-stump herbicide application?

Do you want to control kudzu with biological control?

Using a digging tool, remove the entire plant, including the taproot. Removed vegetation should be destroyed by burning or bagging. Because many roots exceed 6 ft, eradication by this method is very difficult and should be considered primarily for small initial incursions.

If the control is done by cutting, vines and runners should be chopped just above the ground level, and the pieces destroyed. Early in the season, cutting is repeated at two-week intervals, to weaken the crown and prevent the resumption of photosynthesis. Later in the season, when the stored energy in the taproot has been reduced, the interval between cuttings can be extended. Cutting does not typically kill roots and should only be used to control the spread of kudzu.

Cut-stump method is used in areas where vines are established within or around non-target plants or where vines have grown into the canopy. Cut stem 2 inches above ground level and immediately apply a 25% solution of glyphosate and water to the cross-section of the stem. This procedure is effective at temperatures as low as 40°F and may require a subsequent foliar application of glyphosate. At lower temperatures, a 25% solution of triclopyr should be used instead of glyphosate.

Use the foliar spray method to control large populations of kudzu. It may be necessary to precede foliar applications with stump treatments. Apply a 2% concentration of glyphosate and water plus a 0.5% non-ionic surfactant to thoroughly wet all foliage, but not to the point of dripping as glyphosate may kill non-target partially-sprayed plants. After the stems and leaves have been brought under control further treatment should follow the Root Crown Method (digging and cutting into the root crown and applying 0% glyphosate solution or 50% triclopyr solution to the main root crown).

Unfortunately, there are no biological agents that are currently available for kudzu control. Efforts are underway to organize funding to screen insects that feed on kudzu in China. The possibility of future releases of biological control agents probably represents the best hope for long-term control of kudzu.

If preservation of a natural area or community limits the use of grazing or large-scale herbicide application, a combination of trimming, disking, and digging will set the plants back and perhaps eradicate a new infestation in three to four years.