Kudzu Indoors

I know, I know - people here in the South think I'm crazy for loving kudzu. Now I want to grow it indoors. Anyone ever done this?

I know of quite a few houses down here where it's inside. But it drove the people out, busted the windows and set up housekeeping by itself :)

Vickie, will we reading about it in a couple of months???

"FAMILY EVICTED FROM OWN HOUSE BY EVIL KUDZU"

Believe it or not, all you Kudzu Doubters, there is a couple in this county (Rutherford Cty, NC) who makes kudzu baskets, kudzu jelly, etc. I have this theory about kudzu; it's spiritual!! Laugh if you will! I have never seen it grow into an OCCUPIED house. It stops short. Now...it has been an absolute blessing to some junk yards and old trailer parks here in NC. I just went online and there is a lady who is offering big $$$ for a 200-lb. plus kudzu root. She's writing a book. At any rate, my grandmother grew the stuff as a screen on her western-facing front porch so we could sit in the swing. That's what gave me the idea of growing it in the house. However, if you never hear from me again, you will know my theory has been de-bunked and I have been eaten by the vine. Do you think Dave will start a kudzu forum?

LOL!!! no, just don't plant it in the ground! We want you around. I have said before that I needed to harvest some vines and start making some money, maybe this winter I'll remember to do that!!!

Vickie, have you ever been to Natchez Trace State Park in TN? Everything in sight is covered by that vine......really pretty awesome, but I wouldn't want it in my yard. When you think that this is only about 45 yrs of growth there, the spread is unbelievable. The stuff is all over TN from state line to state line, and even into Arkansas!! Beware!

"eyes"

I had never even heard of Kudzu...so I did a search wanting to see its flowers......... for in my limited mind, anything that anyone would want to grow must have spectacular flowers!! And I found this link that was so interesting. But no flowers!
http://www.cptr.ua.edu/kudzu/

Kell...they look more like purple seedpods as on monkey grass! I have never really looked close but from a distance but will investigate for flowers this year!

Vickie...there is a similar vine named velvetbean and it blooms too!

I don't really know but I think the kudzu would not grow very well indoors!

Good Imaseeedpicker.......... let me know how they rate!

My friends and me have been trying to grow Kudzu from seeds we bought from Chiltern.. we have failed anyway. Anybody have more seeds? =) It would surely be a neat indoor plant. :]

Vicki, just like The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall...we won't be able to find you...I'm going to try and grow some grapes in my glasshouse(this way the critters outside won't steal them! Elaine (PS.I know this vine is a little tamer!!!!)

After several years of not driving on IH-20 in NE Louisiana, I was there again a few years ago. I saw a magnificent sight, huge clusters of purple flowers up in treetops that had to be 40' high, and I marvelled at the way the wisteria I love so much had grown so high and was blooming so heavily. Later, I was told it was kudzu, and that it had totally smothered many of the pine trees growing there, planted as part of the reforestation program by a major pulpwood dealer. It smelled heavenly, looked gorgeous from the highway, and was hated by all who knew it. I learned that it was brought in to feed cattle.

I have heard that cattle get strangled in the kudzu since it grows so rapidly. Hear that the roots go as far as a mile deep. Going to wipe us all out eventually.

vicki, heres a link you should enjoy.
i'm afraid i dont share your love of kudzu, i guess to each his own, tho, lol.
im off to look more in to the website
jen

http://home.att.net/~ejlinton/kudzu.html

OH MY GOD...... "This vine is believed to cover more than 7 million acres in the South"...........enough said KILL IT ASAP!

kell, they aren't exaggerating either :(

The Japanese Revenge... that's what I always heard it nicknamed as a youngster, that we imported it from Japan for erosion control, and it's taking over. (No offense intended, those were just comments generated by the war with Japan, and it may not even be true that we imported it from Japan.) I have also heard Kudzu can grow as much as 10' in a single day. Wow, No wonder it takes over! (All this was probobly in the hyperlinks above but I skipped them.)

A friend takes long sections of the vines, strips the leaves, and uses them for gardening ties, like a hoop, tied to natural stakes. They look very much like the wreaths made from grape vines, so I suppose you could use them for wreaths as well.

I did read somewhere that there is a baking flour made from kudzu. I'll stick to whole wheat, thank you.

No, Darius, that is a fact. It was imported by the CCC from Japan, to help with erosion.

"eyes"

this vine has always given the the willies.....Driving thru Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama I have seen the destruction. When I went on mill trips, I would often frly into to Memphis and drive down I-55 In Mississippi to vicksburg then go into Louisiana, there is a strectch of I-55 that on the left hand side there are what look like huge topiaries, sculptures etc., these are trees that have been taken over by the vine, if you've ever traveled thru these parts at dusk, you would see the most eerie sight...they look like huge monsters looming over you, ready to pounce. I use to try to get thru that spot in daylight, but most often I would hit it at dusk, there were several mills I had to stop before the vicksburg turn off, then a mill in vicksbug, so I had to stay there the night, the timing was always such that I would hit that area in semi-darkness.........scary......

This message was edited Monday, Jul 22nd 4:43 PM

I was thinking the same thing about it driving thru TN!!
Nasty stuff..........call it "Mile a Minute"........and it lives up to the name.

"eyes"

its pretty horrific when you think about it.
i wonder what the ecological damage has been. when you think of the acres and acres that this monster has consumed, whats happened to the wildlife and flora that was native to the area?

Suffocated!

Sounds terrible. Will it not live (she says hopefully) in California? I hope this is outlawed! I am shocked no one is killing it or cutting it back........... even if it is impossible to control. A stand must be made somewhere, sometime!

kell, you can't kill it and you can't keep it cut back.

Kell, it won't freeze, burn, or be poisoned. The tap roots are reported to go a mile underground!!

"eyes"

We had a reported sighting of Kudzu growing about 20 miles from portland last year, I think they were johnnie on the spot and got rid of it. I havent heard this year if they have spotted any.
This is a dangerous vine to be planting anywhere. I cant imagine that someone would actually try to grow it. What I would think of is this: say you got a plant, and you have every intention of being responsible. Fair enough, but then it gets too big, so you start trimming it, you throw the trimmings into the garbage or compost, this vine is very vigorous, it somehow attaches itself and starts growing, no one notices for a couple of months or so, but before you know it, the roots are already half a mile down and tentacles going in every direction, and this is just one piece that dropped off the garbage truck...what's happend to the other trimmings??? egads....do you see what I see?

This is really scary if you think about it. A horror film in slow motion. How do you keep it from covering your house?

or what if something happens to you and whoever takes over your plants doesn't know what it is and plants it outside. People don't realize how passionately we hate this plant. and with good reason.

good point tig...

Well you have me all steamed up! I have gone from not knowing what it is to being totally creeped out by it!

I once saw a movie called "The Trifids"......

Oh, ye of little faith. I agree that it is an out-of-control vine when growing wild. But, then, down here in NC wisteria is also out-of-control. (I once went away from the summer, left a window open in the old house I was renting. When I returned the wisteria had popped the screen and grown around the ceiling. First time I had ever raked leaves in my house.) I have seen judicious uses of kudzu. As I said, my grandmother grew it as a screen on her porch. She somehow kept it under control at the bottom of her bank of lilies and used it as erosion control. I have also NEVER seen it overtake an inhabited house where the yard is maintained. Same with pastures. Cattle even eat it. Unfortunately, the US govn'ment went wild and planted it everywhere for soil erosion. It is horrific to control ONCE it is neglected. My philosophy is to find uses for it. (I saw plain old tobacco plants being sold at hefty prices as container plants at the last High Point Furniture Market!!) I mean, the USA could overtake China & Taiwan in the export of kudzu baskets!!!

Vicki, there are people here that have it encroaching on their yards, and try as they might, they can't keep it from coming in. Cows can't eat it all, it grows too fast. I don't mean to be rude, but it's really not fair to your neighbors and your state to bring something in that you can't 100% say won't get planted outside (what if you die and someone throws it out?) Come drive around my county one time, and that's all it takes. I hear people say 'oh, well, it won't live up here'. I say plants mutate. People shouldn't be so insistent on having a plant that could do so much damage. If you just want vines to make baskets, take a day trip down here, you'll be in business.

edited to change a sentence to read better :)

This message was edited Wednesday, Jul 24th 11:04 AM

can you tell I'm very passionate about this?? LOL! I honestly don't mean to offend anyone, you have to make your own choices, but I just hope you'll think of everything before you do. :)

Anyone interested in Kudzu (love it or hate it) this site is fun.
http://www.geocities.com/kudzufest/

Kell...I saw some kudzu today and it is blooming it's berries now will take a pic tomorrow and post it here!

Vicki...Want some seeds?

oh great imaseedpicker!!!!thanks

kell, I hope you aren't going to grow it.

LOL tiG!! To be forever known as the one that destroyed California horticulture!!! I even had a dream last night of kudzu coming for me and wrapping around me and strangling me............doesn't the name sound like monster in a Japanese monster movie?

I am still freaking out about the wisteria growing in VickieP's window. I just planted another 7 wisteria very close to my bedroom window.

No, Imaseedpicker is just going to take a picture for me to see and I guess Rebecca is just being herself and doing what she does..... picking seeds!

How come I never notice all my typos until AFTER I post???

This message was edited Thursday, Jul 25th 2:36 PM

whew:)