Another method was discovered by a teenager named Jacob Schindler. Chickens can eat it. Kill Kudzu Vines: 3 Steps 2. His research would be far better applied to truly difficult weeds, such as cogon grass or privet. Revegetation of sites following treatment is an important last step to ensure that any residual kudzu does not reestablish. Results showed a high level of suppression on the small plots after just one year. But it has become a serious pest, suffocating trees and land. Hydroponics for the Holidays? I saw a kid who was drilling the ground around the kudzu and I think was pumping Helium gas into the ground. All of this happens without harming other plants. At the coffeeshop, the Kudzu Warriors talk about experimental approaches: did you see the YouTube video about the teenager who discovered that pumping helium into the ground will kill kudzu? This is much like using a Weed Wrench, or like using a hammer to remove a nail. This was stunning news because the previous record was 120 crowns per hour, and that was achieved under optimum conditions. The best way to kill kudzu that we have found, is to spray a solution of 1 gallon of vinegar to 1 cup of salt and add a squirt of dishwashing liquid. Nothing is safe from being engulfed by the lightning-speed growth of kudzu (Pueraria montana var. Jacob Schindler says it's edible and since there's so much of it available why not use it as a At the coffeeshop, the Kudzu Warriors talk about experimental approaches: did you see the YouTube video about the teenager who discovered that pumping helium into the ground will kill kudzu? Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. That sort of became my life, killing kudzu. 6. It was also used as a forage crop and over 300,000 acres are planted in the southern states. However it works though, it’s a neat trick! I would say that you are very fortunate to have a place that appears to be free of persistent herbicides and soil made rich by kudzu. This works better than any commercial herbicide plus it is not so hard on the environment! Home Systems are a hot holiday gift list item – GRO Big Red, http://valdostadailytimes.com/local/x1414113336/An-Ivy-League-of-His-Own, http://www.boingboing.net/2011/07/21/the-problem-with-min.html. Kudzu is quite high in nitrogen as the plant is a nitrogen-fixer and well known for its high protein content. It completely killed off the Kudzu but left everything else alone. Home Systems are a hot holiday gift list item. It’s also very unlikely that the helium itself is acting as a poison because helium is an inert gas. He pulled taut the vines coming from an exposed crown, and then chopped below the crown with the hoe end of the pronghoe, thereby removing the crown in one motion. It just doesn’t react with anything. I’m not a horticulturist or a scientist, so I’m not sure how the process could work, but apparently he’s worked out some sort of explanation. The junior uses helium to eradicate kudzu with a device he designed that allows him to drill into the ground with a small tank of helium and evenly distribute it to the kudzu. You can do your part with a little persistence and perhaps some chemical assistance. Kudzu is unusually sensitive to overharvest, and horses, cattle, goats can graze it out and eliminate it in a year or two. Fill it with "kudzu weed control" type brush killer, and let the kudzu drink it up. But Megacopta cribraria also has a taste for legumes, including soybeans. All Right Reserved. Posted: Thu … It may take more than one spraying, but will do the job. Atlanta (CNN) -- … Buildings, power poles and other plants are at the mercy of this robust vine’s advances. 3. For those of you who choose not to view the video, what this kid does is to inject helium into the soil around the root system of a kudzu plant. Raw roots can be cooked in a fire, roots stripped of their outer bark can be roasted in an oven like any root vegetable; or grated and ground into a flour to make a thickener, a cream or tofu. Photo credit Nature Serve. Consult expert sources. Apply herbicides when the vines are actively growing. A breakthrough occurred during June 2007 when the Spartanburg Urban Youth Corps worked with the Coalition on kudzu removal. STEP 1: PREPARE 5. Instead, he began research on removal methods, and found an unusual way to deal with the problem: pumping helium into the ground around the plant itself. The technique uses a perforated tube with a drill bit that protrudes from one end of the tube to bore into the earth near the vine roots. The blossom can be used to make pickles or a jelly — a taste between apple and peach — and the root is full of edible starch. Start with readily available chemicals to weaken the plant for the steps to follow. Kudzu was introduced to the U.S. in the 1930s to help with erosion control. I simply throw that over an area where I want to plant next year, it shades out all of the weeds beneath, and the resulting soil is remarkably mellow and rich. I don’t know if it reacts with something — or if it blocks a reaction somehow. The young leaves can be consumed as a green, or juiced. The weed scientist mentioned, Stephen Enloe, is an Auburn Univ. “. As with most aggressive exotic species, eradication requires persistence in monitoring and thoroughness in treating patches during a multi-year program. I’m using it for mulch to create my new vegetable garden. Boring is stopped when all of the tube perforations are below the earth's surface. The prongs are driven under the kudzu crown, and then the crown is leveraged out. Then I think that the helium acts a refrigerant when it is released and actually freezes the stem of the kudzu. I did not know most of the other information including how high in nitrogen it was and that it wasn’t going to sprout more kudzu if I used it in compost or just left it on the ground. , That’s awesome! Posts: 2757. robotic_tourist. Testing of 25 herbicides over an eight-year period by Miller (1996) led to the following recommendations: Open Patches on Level Ground. He found that inserting Helium into the soil of the invaded area would kill the Kudzu without harming the surrounding vegetation. What do I need to do to get rid of it? Kudzu (Pueraria montana) is highly invasive in North America and other parts of the world. And finally, if you really have trouble with kudzu, why not eat the weeds? Then we get power AND the helium we need to kill kudzu. I’m suspicious about the helium smothering the root system of kudzu because kudzu has such an extensive root system and because the helium should dissipate pretty quickly, especially in sandy soils like they have in Southern Georgia. How to Use Chemicals to Kill Kudzu. Make sure the target plant is kudzu. What is Kudzu? If I had kudzu growing on my property, I’d use it in my weed tea recipe. I applaud his inventiveness, but he, like all of us, has become a victim of kudzu hyperbole: Kudzu isn’t particularly difficult to kill. One high school student, Antonio Perkins, liked the hand pronghoe tool, and decided to use it exclusively. The complicated issue of heavy metals in residential soils, part 1: What are toxic heavy metals, and where do they come from? *Image at top cc license. It might work, but I’d say it was too dangerous to try. The most well-known recommendation is to find the root of the Kudzu and cut it before mowing the area once a month for two summer growing seasons. Its vines can grow up to several feet a day. JACOB SCHINDLER, USES HELIUM TO KILL KUDZU: It has been called the foot a night vine, the mile a minute vine. HELIUM’S FUTURE UP IN THE AIR. (Peter Frey/University of Georgia) The KEHTA delivers helium into the soil, killing kudzu without harming neighboring plants. Nasty stuff native to southeast asia, imported to the USA in 1876 as an erosion control plant. The research showed that a variety of methods, either alone or together, can rapidly kill kudzu. Boring is stopped when all of the tube perforations are below the earth's surface. Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) was introduced in the early 1900s from Japan as a forage crop and a way to control erosion. 4. Problem solved. professor and frequent guest on my podcast Backyard Wisd If you talk to extension agents and commercial agriculturalists, they will almost invariably recommend killing kudzu with herbicide. While this method is still being tested and debated, we’ve rounded up a few ideas from the front lines. Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) was introduced in the early 1900s from Japan as a forage crop and a way to control erosion. Applying the helium proved an exhausting process, but the experiment worked in the field. teen kills kudzu with helium . Even when using a strong herbicide such as RoundUp, it can take at least four and as many as ten years of repeated treatments to kill a kudzu vine. Kudzu has large tubers and if the helium is choking out the oxygen, it could be suffocating them," Enloe said. This time, only the helium completely killed the kudzu. @2017 - PenciDesign. The best way to kill kudzu that we have found, is to spray a solution of 1 gallon of vinegar to 1 cup of salt and add a squirt of dishwashing liquid. Kudzu (Pueraria montana) is highly invasive in North America and other parts of the world. In our case it is a county owned property and heavily forested. Here’s the video. Firearm Discussion and Resources from AR-15, AK-47, Handguns and more! If all the roots are successfully cut, you will kill the plant above ground leaving you to deal with killing the plant under the ground. Shoots can be eaten like asparagus. An even higher percentage of kudzu—99 to 100 percent—was killed during the second year. Cattle can eat it. A Decatur, Georgia teen known as the “Kudzu Kid” is getting quite a bit of attention for developing a way to kill the aggressive vine by injecting helium into its roots without harming the surrounding plants and wildlife (see the article in Atlanta Magazine). I am eager to get to the garden and I thank you for answering my question. Its vines can grow up to several feet a day. “A young student was recently celebrated across the country because he had, in the words of a story appearing on CNN and in The Washington Post, figured out “how to kill kudzu.” His solution was to use a specialized tool to insert vast quantities of helium into the soil. It cannot be over emphasized that total eradication of kudzu is necessary to prevent re-growth. Stick a bunch of vines in a barrel, cover with water, let it rot down for a few weeks, then use it to water your gardens. It seems impossible to kill, but an area high school student says he found a way to get rid of it. For those of you who choose not to view the video, what this kid does is to inject helium into the soil around the root system of a kudzu plant. Kudzu is difficult to establish from seed, and the cut vines will not take root. Gabrielle, I hope this has given you a few good ideas. If you simply chop the kudzu to the ground, then throw cardboard over the area and mulch over that, you should be able to eliminate all the roots as well. 7. Kudzu can smoother desirable vegetation and kill it. Kill Kudzu Vines: 3 Steps 2. Gabrielle has it in her yard and wrote to ask how to kill kudzu for good: “I’m in Northwest Central Florida, near Inverness if that helps and I have a kudzu problem. They can be dried and made into a tea. Some have reported that it can be removed quite efficiently by hand by using a prong hoe: “During the first half of 2006, some volunteers started using the pronged end of the 16″ and 26” hand pronghoes as a crown extraction device. Make sure the target plant is kudzu. One of the reasons kudzu has never really caught on as an agricultural commodity is that it is, in fact, too easy to kill. About half the time the crown fully separates from the roots, hopefully leaving behind no residual crown tissue that could regenerate into a kudzu plant. It may take more than one spraying, but will do the job. robotic_tourist. The only plant I’ve ever used herbicide upon in recent memory is cogongrass – and only because I needed to get my nursery open and I could not remove it all by hand. If previous analyses prove out, kudzu is a decent source of organic matter, a good source of nitrogen (pound for pound, much better than manure), and make even reduce the incidence of some soil pests. While this method is still being tested and debated, we’ve rounded up a few ideas from the front lines. Having applied herbicides to eradicate Kudzu on my land I know that it comes back in a few years. After 10 years of research, he created the KEHTA (Kudzu Eradicating Helium Technology Apparatus), a device that earned him a patent. Only the seeds are not edible. You can see the sawing method of kudzu crown eradication here: Because kudzu makes tubers beneath the ground, you have to make sure you get the root. They block light and can kill desirable plants. You could get Helium probably from a party supply or a welding supply etc. Kudzu vine removal is a wide spread local issue in much of the southern United States. A Decatur, Georgia teen known as the “Kudzu Kid” is getting quite a bit of attention for developing a way to kill the aggressive vine by injecting helium into its roots without harming the surrounding plants and wildlife (see the article in Atlanta Magazine). You would have to drill down a foot or two I would guess. At the coffeeshop, the Kudzu Warriors talk about experimental approaches: did you see the YouTube video about the teenager who discovered that pumping helium into the ground will kill kudzu? What I think is more likely is that, by finding the site where the kudzu’s stem enters the ground, this kid has found a “weak spot” on the kudzu which is susceptible to damage. I knew kudzu was edible, but didn’t have the desire to eat a forest of kudzu. If by some miracle any of them did, a quick yank would eliminate them.”. Like any 12-year-old, he dreamed of space travel and wanted to know what it would take to grow kudzu on Mars. The vine was introduced to the United States at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. STEP 1: PREPARE 5. 1. Pigs can eat it. The gas is also commonly seen in suicide kits—mail-order hoods sold out of Oregon and elsewhere that can be attached to a helium tank by people who want to kill themselves. 6. Got about a 2 acre field that is in kudzu right now. But it has become a serious pest, suffocating trees and land. Personally, I hate herbicide and don’t recommend it. in a day and is not finicky about poor soils and unfavorable conditions. His solution was to use a specialized tool to insert vast quantities of helium into the soil. Kudzu estimated to cover over seven million acres of land in United States, say USDA. Facebook 0 Twitter Pinterest 0 0 Likes. Ah, kudzu. 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