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Kudzu

Started by Ron Scott, March 30, 2015, 07:12:12 PM

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Ron Scott

Kudzu in Paradise

From Chuck Ray's GoWood Blog

I've been teaching a Forest Policy class this semester at Penn State, and the students and I have spent much of the semester looking not only at various policies, but the eventual, and sometimes unexpected, outcomes of those policies. One of those policies was the depression-era policy of recommending the kudzu plant, Puereria spp., to farmers for stopping the relentless soil erosion that led to the great dust bowl era of the 1930's. The kudzu is a fast-growing vine whose root systems stabilize the soil even while the numerous leaves shade the soil and slow desiccation that leads to erosion.

Well, it worked a little too well....

http://gowood.blogspot.com/2015/03/kudzu-in-paradise.html

cdr

Charles D. Ray, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Wood and Forest Science
The Pennsylvania State University
Room 205 FRB
University Park, PA  16802
Office: 814-865-0679
Fax: 814-863-7193
Email: cdr14@psu.edu
On the Web: http://extension.psu.edu/woodpro, http://gowood.blogspot.com/


~Ron

WV Sawmiller

I grew up in NW Florida and we had plenty of kudzu. It grows like bamboo in the jungle. You can almost sit and watch it grow. It is a ropy vine that would grow 20'-30' a couple inches underground then pop up again. We have all see lost forests, train yards, old home places, etc where it grew. It is high in protein I understand and livestock with graze/browse it pretty well. First frost kills it (till next year). I understand you can make kudzu bloom jelly but I have not tried any yet.

Here in WV multiflora rose was the kudzu equivalent. Sold to farmers as natural fences, wildlife cover, etc. It does provide good cover for rabbits and woodchucks and such. I bought my place nearly 25 years ago and fought the roses for the first 5-6 years till we finally got a fence that would (usually) hold goats and they cleaned it up. Now my horse and mule can maintain it and nip off new growth that tries to grow in the pasture. I keep the creek banks and such trimmed adequately to keep it at bay. It loves to take over old field places.

I am still waiting for some government official to come up with some exotic critter that will destroy it (then wipe out the native wildlife like the mongoose did the Nene goose in Hawaii and such).
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

pappy19

I met an old retired fellow that had a business card he would hand out that said he was now a salesman for Kudzu seed, fire ant eggs, baby roaches, maggots, skeeter larvae, brown recluse spider eggs, and trained adult house flies.  You call, we haul!! 8)
2008 F-250 V-10
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4x4American

Boy, back in my day..

dustyhat


NC-Timber

I just bought a property in NC and has three sections of kudzu.  NC Forest Service informed me I can cut the main root(s) and poison it which will take about 3 years to get rid of.  Anyone have any experience with this, success or failure?  What product did you use?  Thanks.

Wudman

We use this prescription when we are attempting to reclaim an area for reforestation.  Kudzu is tough.  You need it on the ground to gain control.  Any that is growing vertically is tough to control.  Cut any timber that is over-topped with kudzu and put it on the ground. In year one, spray with 2 quarts of Tordon K + surfactant per acre.  The higher the volume of water, the better.  Burn the area if possible after brownup.  Leave it alone in year 2.   In year 3, respray with 2 quarts of Tordon K tank mixed with 16-20 ounces of Arsenal AC.  You should have adequate control to plant it.

If you don't wish to reforest the area, fence it in and put livestock on it (goats or cows).  They will eat it.  Keep pressure on the patch and you can keep it contained.

Wudman  
"You may tear down statues and burn buildings but you can't kill the spirit of patriots and when they've had enough this madness will end."
Charlie Daniels
July 4, 2020 (2 days before his death)

pineywoods

Kudzu story....Many years ago, I had a job in the it department at a large government installation in Mississippi. The staff was well supplied practical jokers. A new staff member transfered  in from someplace up north. He decided to go native and plant himself a garden. Made the mistake of asking for advice from his co-workers. Advice... Easiest way to get started is to plant beans. roto till your back yard and we will give you some bean roots to get started. Bury the bean roots and keep well watered, they will produce a bumper crop the first season. They gave him a large basket full of kudzu roots !!!!
If this story doesn't register with you, then it's obvious you don't know beans about kudzu
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
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Sixacresand

I wonder about these seed in the mail.  Something evasive or to cause itching. 
"Sometimes you can make more hay with less equipment if you just use your head."  Tom, Forestry Forum.  Tenth year with a LT40 Woodmizer,

mike_belben

I was stationed in hawaii 4 yrs and the common knowledge was govt brought in mongoose to take care of the rats.. But the mongoose and rats never meet since one is nocturnal, thus its now over run with both so never trust the govt.  Mongoose is the squirrel of oahu. Jumps out of the mahalo can and scares your slippahs off. 

I am seeding my wood/deer lot with pokeweed for critter food.  Hopefully the turnips are up before the pokeweed quits. 

And i just started growing BSF maggots for chicken feed so take what i say with a grain of salt.  
Praise The Lord

Haleiwa

Quote from: mike_belben on August 07, 2020, 12:57:57 PM
I was stationed in hawaii 4 yrs and the common knowledge was govt brought in mongoose to take care of the rats.. But the mongoose and rats never meet since one is nocturnal, thus its now over run with both so never trust the govt.  Mongoose is the squirrel of oahu. Jumps out of the mahalo can and scares your slippahs off.

I am seeding my wood/deer lot with pokeweed for critter food.  Hopefully the turnips are up before the pokeweed quits.

And i just started growing BSF maggots for chicken feed so take what i say with a grain of salt.  
Mongoose were brought to Hawaii by the Hawaii Sugar Planters Association long before Hawaii was even a state.  The story is that there were cages set on the docks of Young Brothers (barge company) to take to the the outer islands, when one of the dock workers stuck his finger through the bars of one cage.  The mongoose in it bit him, and he kicked the cage into the water.  That cage was destined for Kaua'i.  To this day, Kaua'i has no mongoose, which partly explains it burgeoning population of feral chickens.

Socialism is people pretending to work while the government pretends to pay them.  Mike Huckabee

Don P

If an extension agent ever offers you anything that isn't already living there, RUN!

Southside

Well Mike if the deer don't take to your food plot you will have plenty of possum to feast upon!!  One of my employees - the gal who roped Doc Holiday for those who read that adventure - used to run a chicken wrangling service on one of the islands in Hawaii.  She made quite good money doing so.  
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Ianab

Quote from: Haleiwa on August 10, 2020, 11:30:59 AMThat cage was destined for Kaua'i.  To this day, Kaua'i has no mongoose, which partly explains it burgeoning population of feral chickens.


Sounds like Rarotonga. Every place we have stayed has had "house chickens". Not exactly feral, but not domestic either, except if they think they can sneak inside and steal something. Again. no natural predators. 

But it's part of the experience. Sitting in a nice cafe in downtown Avarua (main town) and a chicken  comes strolling through. Get in on a later flight at 2am, and the roosters start up at 3 :D . Walk 1/2 an hour up into the hills, and there's a random chicken. 

If you watched "Survivor - Cook Islands" you will get the idea. 
 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

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