How to Kill Kudzu

Kudzu plants grow quickly, with large green leaves sprouting along a central vine. The vines prefer areas without a lot of water or light, although they may invade those areas, depending on the surrounding conditions. Once you have kudzu in your yard, the plant quickly overtakes the space, even killing grass and other plants in the lawn. Eliminating kudzu is a long process that requires killing all parts of the kudzu vine and repeating the treatments in the future.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Flamer
• Weed eater
• Picloram herbicide
• Rubber gloves
• Face mask
• Grass

1. Burn the kudzu vines with a hand-held flamer, designed for use around the house, and use it on the vines during the spring months. Flaming kills the younger kudzu plants and also removes the leaves of the plant, making it easier to reach the roots.

2. Chop away any remaining vegetation from the kudzu with a weed eater or sharp instrument. Wait at least a week, and then check for any new growth of the kudzu. Remove this new growth with the weed eater, removing the top layer of the plant to expose the roots.

3. Spray the roots, vines and any remaining leaves with a picloram herbicide, such as Tordon 101 Mixture or Tordon K, recommends the Missouri Department of Conservation. Cover your hands and face with rubber gloves and a face mask, as the chemicals are fairly harsh. It may take multiple applications before the kudzu dies.

4. Watch for the kudzu to begin withering from the chemicals. Once that happens, use the flamer on the vines again. When you burn away the vines, it encourages other plants to take over the space and begin growing in the area.

5. Plant new grass in the area where you first identified the kudzu, beginning in the fall. Once the new grass sprouts, it prevents the kudzu from returning. Trees, such as pine or hardwood, will also keep the kudzu from growing back.

Tips & Warnings

• Simply cutting or mowing the kudzu will eventually kill the plant, but it takes a minimum of four years for this method to be effective.

• Letting cows or other animals graze on the kudzu also helps kill it. Like the mowing, though, this takes several years to work completely.

References

• Missouri Department of Conservation: Kudzu
• Clemson Extension: Kudzu Eradication Guidelines
• Biodiversity Database of the Washington D.C. Area: Kudzu