Kudzu may never entirely consume the South, as its aggressive growth might suggest. But left unchecked, kudzu can choke out native trees and plants.
Surely, you've seen it - a smothering, green blanket of thick vines that creep and coil and climb until they overtake whatever is in their path - ground, trees, shrubs, light poles, abandoned cars, neglected buildings. The invasion is particularly harmful to whatever growing things the vines cover.
If you go
› What: Weed Wrangle.› When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 7; register by Friday, April 6.› Where: Conner Toll House, 4212 Anderson Pike, Signal Mountain.› Registration: www.ihelpchattanooga.org/need.› Information: www.weedwrangle.org.› Note: Must be at least age 12 to participate. Tools and snacks provided. Bring gloves and a water bottle. Wear long pants and closed-toe shoes.
"If you're driving anywhere along the highway in this Southeast region, you'll see these vines just crawling up and over trees," says Ashley Cofield, program coordinator for the Lookout Mountain Conservancy. "And as they do that, it prevents the trees from getting all the nutrients they need, and eventually the trees get overtaken with vines, and it does kill them."
The Lookout Mountain Conservancy was started in 1991 to get rid of kudzu, says Cofield. Efforts have continued this spring with Weed Wrangle events targeting kudzu, privet and other invasive plants.
Privet, explains Bill Moll, is also an aggressive grower, making it harmful to plants that grow naturally in this area.
"It takes over an entire forest," he says.
Early horticulturists brought privet to this area deliberately because they thought it would make a nice hedge, says Moll. It develops into a hedge in no time, and it will be huge, he says.
Moll is treasurer of Tennessee Chapter Wild Ones, a native plant advocacy group.
The problem is it doesn't stop growing, and it takes over other greenery. And birds like privet, so they eat the berries and spread the plant.
John Evans, lead botanist at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center, explains that invasive exotic plants "are one of the top five drivers of global biodiversity loss. They can dominate an ecosystem, displacing scores of native plant species."
It may be impossible to completely eradicate invasive plants, but they can be managed effectively to restore and maintain habitat for native species.
Left to grow, they will spread so aggressively that they kill out plants and trees that grow naturally in the area, such as tulip poplar, hickory and black walnut.
An annual effort to save the natives began earlier this month when volunteers removed invasive weeds from Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center, Audubon Acres, Renaissance Park, South Chickamauga Creek Greenway, local state parks and the TVA Big Ridge Small Wild Area. Another Weed Wrangle is scheduled April 7, with efforts focused on Lookout Mountain and the Conner Toll House on Signal Mountain. Volunteers are welcome; registration is requested by April 6.
Supervised by experts in invasive weed management, Weed Wrangle volunteers will remove invasives from affected sites and will learn best practices for follow-up, including replanting with natives. Volunteers also learn strategies for combating invasives in their own yards.
Otherwise, kudzu could be coming for you and your trees.
"Kudzu will grow 50 feet up a tree and just completely envelop it so that it can't breathe and can't get the sunlight it needs in order to keep growing," says Cofield.
Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or call 423- 757-6431.
Tips to recognize and get rid of kudzu
Identifying kudzu› Kudzu has fast-spreading green foliage with beguiling purple blossoms.› Kudzu does not play nice. It will swallow any companions.› Its growth pattern is climbing, coiling and trailing.› Kudzu is an invasive, destructive vine that thrives in conditions ranging from shade to bright sun.› It does not require water.› Don’t plant it. It is said to be herbicide-resistant.How to get rid of it› The best kudzu-fighting strategy is to keep it off your land. If it is close by, build a barrier such as a tall fence that is buried at least 4 inches underground. Be on guard because the vines will try to climb over fences.› Roll back invading vines to keep them from invading. Don’t break or cut them as this will stimulate more growth. Some recommend building barriers of mulch, especially grass clippings, as a deterrent.Some gardeners like to fight fire with fire and turn kudzu’s smothering technique back on itself.› Fully cover the kudzu with grass clippings or other mulch to rob it of light and oxygen. Plastic sheeting also can be used, creating heat to kill the plant.› Smother the kudzu entirely with a tarp so that it receives no rain or sunlight.› If you live in a goat-friendly area, allow some goats to overgraze your kudzu. For them it’s a tasty snack.Source: “Killer Kudzu: 5 Ways To Defeat the Vine That’s Eating the Eastern Seaboard,” published in Gardenista, May 3, 2013.
Battling plant invaders
Invasive Plant Management in Heavily Invaded Areas – How to Get Started By the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, the University of Tennessee, and the Southern Appalachian Man and Biosphere Foundation:1. Get started right away.The worst thing you can do is to do nothing because the challenge seems so formidable. It is equally unwise to just start controlling large areas of invasive plants without thinking how to best approach the challenge. In these cases, inventorying, mapping, or simply scoping the situation are important first steps. Try different ways to look at the problem and break it up into manageable parts. Below are suggestions on how to do this. Examine the challenge and decide what the important features are and start by working around these features. Where invasive plants have seemingly inundated all living space, look around for native trees or bushes, rock outcrops, wetland seeps, or most conspicuous viewing areas. Any of these areas offers a place to start control efforts. Work may have to start by hand on a small scale to save these areas but they are relevant places to start. Start by saving the best. Controlling invasive plants around these areas will make it easier later to apply broad-spectrum herbicides while keeping the best areas protected from herbicide damage.2.Work to stop invasive plant seed production early.One of the most important first steps is to stop seed production as soon as possible. This may mean cutting down or girdling those invasive tree species old enough to produce seeds. This also works for some shrubs and vines. For herbaceous invasive plants that produce seed annually, determine what season the seeds mature and work to prevent the next crop from reaching maturity. Start from the edges and work inward. The edges of the invaded area are where much of the horizontal spread of invasions occur. Consider this the “front line” for preventing further spread of invasions. Consider scouting the front lines for “advanced individual invaders” or for small plots of exotic plants jumping the line. These are easily controlled and will help keep the invasion problem from getting worse.3. Take some early actions to get the invasive plant canopy down to ground level.One of the biggest problems in controlling invasive plants is when they are nearly the same height or taller than the native ones in need of protection. The invasive plants can’t be controlled without damaging the native plants. The answer is to mow, whack, cut, This guide is to help those who encounter areas of about 1/8th acre to several acres that are so inundated with invasive plants as to pose an overwhelming challenge. This is not an unusual situation. Solutions vary with each site and species combinations but some guidelines to approaching the overall challenge may help make the task more manageable. girdle, bush hog, knock down, or trim the invasive plants to nearly ground level. They will sprout back but now they can be sprayed or controlled much more easily without endangering the plants you want to keep. In the process, invasive plant seed production is often delayed.4. Identify smaller areas where control efforts are easiest and can be accomplished in a day.There may be pockets of native plant groupings, small sections along one side of a trail, or a particular section of slope that have less invasive species present. Work on invasive plant control in these areas. Seeing progress, even in small areas, really helps inspire action and opens up areas and strategies for more control efforts.5. Consider commercial control efforts and/or advice from experienced specialists. Don’t be afraid to seek advice. Some people have been fighting invasive plant problems for years and have solutions and strategies that can save immense amounts of labor, money, and frustration. There are commercial companies, land management agencies, university staff, and non-government organizations that have expertise and will offer advice. Consider some long-term preventive options in addition to the near-term controls. It is discouraging to go through all sorts of control efforts only to find them wiped out by another invasion of exotic plants. There are two issues to address to avoid this. The first is to anticipate further invasions, to monitor the sites for several years, and to conduct “spot” control efforts frequently to prevent establishment or resprouting of unwanted plants. The second is to either prevent the conditions for further successful invasions or to eliminate the seed source that may be nearby. To prevent conditions for further successful invasions it is helpful to plant non-invasive plants that will help crowd out or shade out potential invaders.6. Let people know what you are doing. When people find out what you are doing and what problems you are facing, they often become more aware and want to avoid the problems themselves. At a minimum they will be better able to recognize the problem if and when it arises and are likely to let you know of it. This is a great help.