

KUDZU, A FORAGE CROP FOR THE SOUTHEAST 5 



reported. If seed is used, a better method than sowing in the field 

 appears to be to sow thickly in a seed bed and allow the seedlings to 

 grow for two years, and then set them out. Cuttings may be treated 

 in the same way, being set in good moist soil where they will take 

 root and establish plants to be moved later. 



Important Points About Planting 



At one extreme is this method of planting: Using cheap, rooted 

 cuttings, dropping them 10 feet apart in furrows 10 feet apart, and 

 covering them with a plow. This is the least expensive method and 

 the surest to disappoint; failure is almost certain. At the other 

 extreme is this method : Using 2 to 3 year old plants, setting them 

 carefully as soon as they are received, on moist, well-prepared land, 

 3% by Zy 2 feet apart. This is the most expensive method, but if 

 it is followed hardly a plant will die and the field can be used the 

 second year. 



The grower can choose between these two extremes. He should 

 remember, however, that (1) the closer the planting and the better 

 the roots the quicker the results; (2) widely spaced plants must be 

 cultivated one or two years to give the vines a chance to root at the 

 nodes or " peg down"; (3) roots must not be allowed to dry out; 

 (4) roots must be dug and set before growth starts; (5) roots must 

 be set carefully, as deep as the length of the root and with crown 

 buds or " eyes " at or about 1 inch below the surface. 



Cultivation 



The plants must be cultivated for the first year or two in order 

 that weeds may not interfere with the establishment of new plants 

 from the first runners. It must be remembered that before a field of 

 kudzu is useful for forage there must be many more rooted plants 

 per acre than have been set. The Georgia College of Agriculture 

 places the required number of plants at three or four for every 

 square yard of surface. This large number of plants must come 

 from the rooted joints, and the joints can not root unless they lie on 

 moist ground. Weeds interfere with this, as the vines climb over 

 them. Even when plants are spaced 3% by 3!/2 feet, some cultiva- 

 tion is advisable the first season. With wider spacing such culture 

 is imperative if a good hay stand is to be had. 



How to Use Kudzu 



When once well established, a field of kudzu may be used many 

 years for hay or pasture, provided it is used right. Probably be- 

 cause of some of the early enthusiasm and advertising, a notion that- 

 well-established kudzu is indestructible has taken root. This is far 

 from being the case. Alfalfa is less easily killed by abuse than is 

 kudzu. The Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (Circular 

 57) has shown that kudzu makes new growth after cuttings at the 

 expense of the reserve material in the root. If cuttings are made 

 frequently in a season the root may actually be smaller at the end 

 of the season than at the beginning. In such cases the growth the 



