Random Florida Fact: The vine that ate the South

Vines are a fairly common sight in Florida, which is appropriate considering that the state’s subtropical climate is perfect for them.

However, this invasive plant has become a threat to many southern states — and if you live in the Sunshine State, you’ve likely come across it on more than a few occasions.

State records show that kudzu is a type of vine that stems from Asia, where it was used for centuries as food for livestock and to help prevent erosion.

However, the plant grows extremely fast, and it can quickly recover from severe damage like burning and freezing, researchers say.

As a result, it’s not uncommon to see these plants engulf utility poles, railroads and large stretches of forest. That’s how it got its nickname “The vine that ate the South.”

While more of an issue in places like Georgia and Alabama, over 40 Florida counties have suffered from kudzu infestations, especially in the Panhandle.

According to the Florida Department of Agriculture, Japanese representatives first brought the plant to the U.S. for the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.

The leaves were large, created a lot of shade and looked pretty, leading visitors to take seeds home so that they could try growing it themselves.

It made its way to Florida at the turn of the 20th century when a planter named Charles Pleas decided to grow some kudzu near his home to provide shade, state archivists explain.

However, the kudzu soon began to creep out into the lawn, and so Pleas dug it up and threw it in a trash heap near his barn. The vine took root, though, and began to cover both the trash pile and the nearby building.

Pleas soon noticed that animals like hogs and horses enjoyed eating the kudzu, and realizing that the plant could be a low-cost way to feed livestock, he and his wife began promoting the vine as a “miracle solution” for southern farmers.

He praised the vine due to its nutritional value and the ease with which planters could grow it. In early summer, it could reportedly grow up to a foot a day — or around 60 feet within a single growing season.

The trend was boosted even further when experts realized it could be an effective solution for erosion. And if the vine ever became a problem, experts explained there was an easy fix.

Edward Eppes, a lawyer and farmer, pointed out that new plants only sprouted from the crowns, so mowing down the crowns with a plow during summer would be enough to kill it easily.

“For this reason, there is no danger of kudzu ever becoming a pest,” he wrote in 1913.

The plant became popular nationwide, with federal agencies recommending kudzu and even paying farmers to cultivate it as recently as 1944.

However, experts and farmers began to realize by the 1960s that the vine’s high rate of growth meant that it was very easy to lose control of it. In the right conditions, it would take over unoccupied homes, gardens and even electrical lines.

In 1970, the U.S. Department of Agriculture finally announced that kudzu was considered a common weed, and federal officials began trying to figure out means to eradicate it.

In Florida, local and state officials implemented extensive measures to stem the massive growth of kudzu, such as busting out herbicides or contracting sheep farmers to have lambs chow down on the plants.

Aside from growing over infrastructure and choking young trees, kudzu is also a host for kudzu bugs, which can damage several types of crops.

According to researchers at the University of Florida, these pests are similar to stink bugs, emitting a noxious odor when disturbed. They typically try to crawl into homes during the fall season to last out the cold weather in the winter.

Fortunately, the USDA has been experimenting with fungal herbicides to target kudzu, and grazing by livestock has helped wipe out a decent portion of the kudzu.

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