I've seen kudzu upclose in only one location, but it had made a jungled mass of greenery covering some shrubs and trees. I've certainly seen it growing up all kinds of structures in other places though. One thing that's good about it -- it's a legume so it really enriches the soil! Kudzu has some other beneficial uses, too, including the animal fodder you mention. From Wikipedia: Animal feed Kudzu can be used by grazing animals as it is high in quality as a forage and greatly enjoyed by livestock. It can be enjoyed up until frost and even slightly after. Kudzu hay typically has a 1518% crude protein content and over 60% total digestible nutrient value. The quality of it decreases, however, as vine content increases relative to the leaf content. Kudzu also has low forage yields despite its great deal of growth, yielding around two to four tons of dry matter per acre annually. It is also difficult to bale due to its vining growth and its slowness in shedding water. This makes it necessary to place kudzu hay under sheltered protection after being baled. Kudzu is readily consumed by all types of grazing animals, yet frequent grazing over 3 to 4 years can ruin stands. Thus kudzu only serves well as a grazing crop on a temporary basis. Medicine The Harvard Medical School is studying kudzu as a possible way to treat alcoholic cravings, by turning an extracted compound from the herb into a medical drug. The mechanism for this is not yet established, but it may have to do with both alcohol metabolism and the reward circuits in the brain. Kudzu also contains a number of useful isoflavones, including daidzein (an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent), daidzin (a cancer preventive) and genistein (an antileukemic agent). Kudzu is a unique source of the isoflavone puerarin. Kudzu root compounds can affect neurotransmitters (including serotonin, GABA, and glutamate) and it has shown value in treating migraine and cluster headache. It is recommended for allergies and diarrhea. Research in mice models suggests that Kudzu is beneficial for control of some post-menopausal symptoms such as hypertension and diabetes type II. In traditional Chinese medicine, where it is known as gé gēn (Chinese: 葛根), kudzu is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It is used to treat tinnitus, vertigo, and Wei syndrome (superficial heat close to the surface). Starch The roots contain starch, which has traditionally been used as a food ingredient in East Asia. Other uses In the Southern United States, where the plant has been introduced with devastating environmental consequences,[9] kudzu is used to make soaps, lotions, jelly, and compost. It has even been suggested that kudzu may become a valuable asset for the production of cellulosic ethanol. Control For successful long-term control of kudzu, it is not necessary to destroy the entire root system, which can be quite large and deep. It is only necessary to use some method to kill or remove the kudzu root crown and all rooting runners. The root crown is a fibrous knob of tissue that sits on top of the root (rhizome). Crowns form from vine nodes that root to the ground, and range from pea-size to basketball-size. The older the crown, the deeper they tend to be found in the ground because they are covered by sediment and plant debris over time. Nodes and crowns are the source of all kudzu vines, and roots cannot produce vines. If any portion of a root crown remains after attempted removal, the kudzu plant grows back. Small kudzu crown severed from root using flexible pruning saw. Mechanical methods of control involve cutting off crowns from roots, usually just below ground level. This immediately kills the plant. Cutting off vines is not sufficient for an immediate kill. It is necessary to destroy all removed crown material: Buried crowns can regenerate into healthy kudzu. Transporting crowns in soil removed from a kudzu infestation is one common way that kudzu "miraculously" spreads and shows up in unexpected locations. Close mowing every week, regular heavy grazing for many successive years, or repeated cultivation may be effective, as this serves to deplete root reserves. A terribly invasive vine but not quite as difficult to get rid of as bindweed!

Scott, can you post a picture of the whole tree? You appear to have a big rotting wound on a tree prone to them. Usually these grow as fast as they rot if not faster so they outpace it. Yours is not for some reason. I am starting to think Weeping willows are picky sometimes. My neighbor has a beautiful one from a cutting he took in Arkansas growing on the hill behind our houses. Its a decade old and probably 60 foot in spread. Down the hill where it is wet in his front yard he had a cutting take the same year. A few years later the bottom started rotting and it died. So he took another cutting, same thing. And again. My best guess is they don't like being downhill of the septic? Who knows.

It is true that more info is needed in order to better help you. I have a 7 yr old Weeping Willow (about 25' x 25') that I have had numerous problems with. It has Marssonina Leaf Spot, Anthracnose and Canker. It will leaf out, then many of (mostly the lower) twigs and leaves will start to turn brown, curl up, die off, etc. This tree has had these problems for about 3-4 years, now. Usually, by mid-summer, it has lost most of it's diseased parts (or I will have already had cut them off by then) and the new growth comes out fine. This year in the PacNW, we've had a very cool and wet spring and this has made the problem much worse on my tree. About 1/2 of my tree is nearly bare, but there is a lot of new growth starting out on the top and sides. The inside areas are completely leafless. I spent part of this weekend cleaning out a lot of diseased material and there's not too much of my tree left. I'm considering removing it, even though my wife and I love Weeping Willows very much (it was a tree we planted right after moving in to this house...special for us). If your leaves are curling up with brown/black spots on it and you have twigs that have brown patches, some with white centers, it would appear to be Marssonina Leaf Spot, if the new growth is turning brown and shriveling up and dying in place (like someone took a torch to it), it would appear to be Anthracnose...and if the branches have brown/black sections where new twigs or leaves join it, it would appear to be Canker. I could definitely be wrong, but that's what I've found/read in a lot of searching on the internet about it. My wife and I love Weeping Willows, but it is true...they are fast-growing, short-lived, disease-prone trees. They look pretty in their prime, but when they get a disease, it can detract significantly from their beauty. Hope this helps. Good luck to you and your willow...

first... weeping willow is a nice park or golf course tree .. most of us would suggest no closer than 50 feet to a structure ... of course you dont say what kind ... so i generalize ... second .... you dont mention size .... and i am sure.. 5 feet is way over the top... maybe a foot for every inch caliper ... once extablished.. in a year for a willow .... you should never have to water it again ... first link is a plnating guide ... second link is a pictorial on what i call a moat for watering ... its a good idea for the short period a transplant will need water.. but most likely way over the top ... ken guide https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub pictorial ... but i cant see the pix... and hoping they will show later ... http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1827881/how-to-transpalnt-a-conifer-tree-huge-pix-post