My attention was recently brought to a patch of Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) here in the county. This is on Ohio’s watch list for invasive species and can be found on the Prohibited noxious weeds list for Ohio. This weed is responsible for many infested roadside forests, particularly in more southern states, and is a weed that needs to be contained.
It is a threat to the health of our forests and also a host of the Kudzu bug which is a pest of soybeans. Fortunately the kudzu bug has not been indentified in Ohio so far.
If you find Kudzu and it is a small enough patch to destroy, then you should do so. Otherwise, knowledge and awareness is key for future control. It can be reported to the Great Lakes Early Detection Network, www.colostate.edu/gledn.
For additional discussion and links from CFAES, click here.
I am working to find out more about what can be done for control of large patches like the one in the above photo. In many situations time and money is prohibitive so it is best to move quickly if you find a patch on your property.