My first viewing of kudzu was a few years ago when we drove down through the bootheel of Missouri and over into Tennessee.

All I can say is the powerline people better wake up and get after these vines!

So far, I have heard of none in the Greene Co., Missouri area.....and hope someone will pay attention to this vine.

Where are you seeing it?

Think it will kill out the Bermuda Grass?
I agree with the thistle, I have to get out and spray it all summer--that and multiflora rose.
BUT, you know what makes me the maddest? I know of 2 neighborsthat think those 2 have the prettiest flowers--and have a fence around them so they wont ACCIDENTALLY get mowed over!!

Highway 23 south of Eureka Springs. One spot inside the city limits. Another spot a few miles south looks like someone used it in landscaping, and there are other spots more recent that appeared to have escaped from there.

From Eureka there are a number of locations along Highway 62 towards Harrison.

Past Harrison there has been a location along Highway 65 for at least 15 years that a landowner seemed to be fighting, but it has now spread onto the right-of-way.

Past Marshall there is a location on Highway 27.

Don't get me started on multiflora rose and thistles!

and maybe the worst of all, Bermuda Grass. It is taking over my place. Herbicide just encourages it!

When we drove to Atlanta a couple years ago, we passed areas that looked like they had a 20 acre green blanket draped over everything. The kudzu had completely covered the trees and was between the trees in waves of green. It was all you could see. I'm sure it smothers the trees and kills them eventually.
There's lots of info on the internet but I think it would be more effective if the conservation department or dept. of natural resources would make an informative type commercial to educate people. It might only take a few phone calls to the right people or an editorial to get something like that rolling Mistercross. The further south you go the worse it is. We do have Kudzu in Missouri but it's probably worse in Arkansas.

Gld - If I ever move, Bermuda Grass would be the first thing I check for. AND I'm thinking about chaining myself to a courthouse until they do something about Japanese Beetles. ; )
Here's a good article on Kudzu from our dept of conservation.

Here is a link that might be useful: MDC Online - Kudzu

I think until the different states do something with "things" growing along the roadsides we will always be battling to keep them out of our pastures. We sprayed multiflora rose for years, then it was musk thistle and now spotted knapweed. Saw in the local paper that Missouri is turning loose some weavils that work on the roots and some on the blooms of spotted knapweed. My husband has been spraying SKW along the right of way by our house and in the pastures. They think SKW blew off of hay being hauled in out of state. If people bale up the SKW and Musk Thistle it is just going to grow somewhere else and someone is going to have to start all over. Most cows don't like either one.

And from time to time I see people on the plant exchange requesting this for their yards.....are they crazy?

Yes, juast like my neighbor that has a fence around four multuflora rose (seperatly) in his yard--so it wont get mowed over! It smells so good, he says, while more seeds ger spread!

Tell you the truth, I am always a little leery of the things introduced by university extension to 'control' certain things..........wasn't it them that introduced multiflora rose and Johnson Grass?

Cinnamon vine is my kudzu. It makes me so mad when companies sell it. I wrote an e-mail to one and got a reply that they had it growing and had no problem. I get droughts, cold weather, late frosts here as you do. If it is taking over here it will take over in lots of places in this country. Give it time.

Cinnamon vine is edible and medicinal. Maybe you can advertise a "pick-your-own"?

Cinnamon vine is a curse and I would not spread it or give it to anyone for anything.

I came across this article and thought you might be interested. Not sure this sounds like a very safe method though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fungus Tapped to Take on Kudzu

Re: Cinnamon vine. I was not joking about offering a "Pick-your-own" but I should have said "for the plant to be used as food and medicine". NOT to replant, that'd be bad.

rockguy, the trouble is nobody really believes a plant they like will be a problem until it happens to them. When I dig in parts of my yard, those little potatoes are in the soil. Water has washed it down my long driveway. There is no way short of agent orange that I could ever get rid of it. I can not express the problems this plant causes me and how it is like cancer. It was given to me before 1970 and it moves where I move. The solution is if I ever move again don't take any plants or soil with me. Christie I just read something about some biological controls doing more than they were supposed to. I sprayed my tomatoes with Spinosad that is supposed to be harmless; I hope so. I have the thistle weavels and wish they would eat more. I don't have a Kudzu problem, but other vines would tie me up here if I don't keep moving.

I had to look up Cinnamon Vine. I have heard of potato vine before and just saw a picture of it in someone's garden.
I haven't found it here............yet!

Another "ornamental" plant that I can't warm up to is datura.
I always was familiar with our native jimsonweed and we just cut it down wherever we found it. I looks just like these new ones, except for the color....they make me nervous.

We have armadillos now so kudzu can't be far behind.

We have kudzu vine in northwest arkansas. All one has to do is drive hwy. 71. Its on the top of boston mountain. I even seen someones yard and all you could see was kudzu. It looked like a groundcover. Its already covering grown trees here. I dont know if people even realize the problem going on. Like the person using it as a groundcover! Its only 5 miles from my house so Im nervous. Oh its also growing next to the 540 on ramp as your coming off I40 in alma. It has the southwest corner there covered. That batch is right next to I40 and has been for at least six years that I know of!

irishdecended (l like your name....our family name was McConnell and McCafferty on Mom's side). Does Arkansas do anything at all to try to control the kudzu? I would think the Dept of Agriculture would get after it. Can you imagine it getting in crop fields!

Missouri did have a spray program going for thistles, but I think that has been stopped. The right of ways used to be a solid mass of pink in lots of places with those blasted things.

No one is doing anything as far as I can tell. This USDA page lists invasive species resources in Arkansas. It is not even listed as a noxious weed.

Following some of the links there I found this Arkansas State Plant Board page that lists the few things they are actively fighting.

The patches of kudzu that I've seen are still small, but I have already seen new patches pop up a hundred feet down the road from the old ones.

This PDF herbicide list might be helpful to anyone wanting to fight this, or other weeds.

Here's an interesting history of kudzu.

I saw some kudzu on top of a hill by highway 62 on the way to Eureka Springs yesterday.