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!

Chills, I don't know how many different things you've tried, but often a simple mix of detergent and water sprayed on a plant will make it so distasteful buggy pests will leave it alone. We've had fairly good success with this on my wife's roses and other plants around here. The drawback, of course, is that any additional moisture (rain, heavy dew, sprinklers) washes the soap off and exposes the plant to attack again. So you have to reapply regularly. I'm not above using pesticides, but I do try to limit my use of them when I can. ;-) Good luck with those spider mites!

thanks addaboy, but i don't have aphids, i have soil mites. and redtail, i read that site. i've done everything this guy said so far, among other things. like, quarantines, the neem, the alcohol... except miticides, because we do want to HARVEST these peppers one day, you know? and i'm not sure if you can use a miticide that would actually work and kill the buggers FOR GOOD without making your pepper crop inedible. the only thing i am really pretty strictly opposed to is adding predator mites. i mean, yes, in theory it sounds wonderful. i even read scientific articles about them, and their life cycles, etc. but i have OCD. i garden strictly indoors in sterilized pots with sterile soil wearing latex gloves. ADDING bugs? i think that's outside my realm of psychologically okay. do you know of a miticide that's super strong but won't harm potential peppers?

luv, the plants you have in pots ..have you re-potted them recently or are they potbound in old soil mixture? Plants that have optimum soil conditions will happily grow and tolerate minor attacks from bugs. If your potted plants are being attacked by multiple types of chewing and sucking bugs those plants were stressed to begin with and pesticides may kill the bugs you see but also any beneficials in the potting soil holding the plant. Can you find a spot with filtered light where you can replant these injured plants in the ground where any further treatments are less likely to disturb the soil beneficials. Use captured rain water for watering these plants you've put into the ground. Stake them for support. Once they are healthy again you can lift and repot them in the fall with the soil they are growing in. Expect more roots and need for a larger pot.