I've seen kudzu upclose in only one location, but it had made a jungled mass of greenery covering some shrubs and trees. I've certainly seen it growing up all kinds of structures in other places though. One thing that's good about it -- it's a legume so it really enriches the soil! Kudzu has some other beneficial uses, too, including the animal fodder you mention. From Wikipedia: Animal feed Kudzu can be used by grazing animals as it is high in quality as a forage and greatly enjoyed by livestock. It can be enjoyed up until frost and even slightly after. Kudzu hay typically has a 1518% crude protein content and over 60% total digestible nutrient value. The quality of it decreases, however, as vine content increases relative to the leaf content. Kudzu also has low forage yields despite its great deal of growth, yielding around two to four tons of dry matter per acre annually. It is also difficult to bale due to its vining growth and its slowness in shedding water. This makes it necessary to place kudzu hay under sheltered protection after being baled. Kudzu is readily consumed by all types of grazing animals, yet frequent grazing over 3 to 4 years can ruin stands. Thus kudzu only serves well as a grazing crop on a temporary basis. Medicine The Harvard Medical School is studying kudzu as a possible way to treat alcoholic cravings, by turning an extracted compound from the herb into a medical drug. The mechanism for this is not yet established, but it may have to do with both alcohol metabolism and the reward circuits in the brain. Kudzu also contains a number of useful isoflavones, including daidzein (an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent), daidzin (a cancer preventive) and genistein (an antileukemic agent). Kudzu is a unique source of the isoflavone puerarin. Kudzu root compounds can affect neurotransmitters (including serotonin, GABA, and glutamate) and it has shown value in treating migraine and cluster headache. It is recommended for allergies and diarrhea. Research in mice models suggests that Kudzu is beneficial for control of some post-menopausal symptoms such as hypertension and diabetes type II. In traditional Chinese medicine, where it is known as gé gēn (Chinese: 葛根), kudzu is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It is used to treat tinnitus, vertigo, and Wei syndrome (superficial heat close to the surface). Starch The roots contain starch, which has traditionally been used as a food ingredient in East Asia. Other uses In the Southern United States, where the plant has been introduced with devastating environmental consequences,[9] kudzu is used to make soaps, lotions, jelly, and compost. It has even been suggested that kudzu may become a valuable asset for the production of cellulosic ethanol. Control For successful long-term control of kudzu, it is not necessary to destroy the entire root system, which can be quite large and deep. It is only necessary to use some method to kill or remove the kudzu root crown and all rooting runners. The root crown is a fibrous knob of tissue that sits on top of the root (rhizome). Crowns form from vine nodes that root to the ground, and range from pea-size to basketball-size. The older the crown, the deeper they tend to be found in the ground because they are covered by sediment and plant debris over time. Nodes and crowns are the source of all kudzu vines, and roots cannot produce vines. If any portion of a root crown remains after attempted removal, the kudzu plant grows back. Small kudzu crown severed from root using flexible pruning saw. Mechanical methods of control involve cutting off crowns from roots, usually just below ground level. This immediately kills the plant. Cutting off vines is not sufficient for an immediate kill. It is necessary to destroy all removed crown material: Buried crowns can regenerate into healthy kudzu. Transporting crowns in soil removed from a kudzu infestation is one common way that kudzu "miraculously" spreads and shows up in unexpected locations. Close mowing every week, regular heavy grazing for many successive years, or repeated cultivation may be effective, as this serves to deplete root reserves. A terribly invasive vine but not quite as difficult to get rid of as bindweed!

Okay then I will check with Agrig. Dept. on Monday, tomorrow my day is planned. Thanks for reporting this and showing me the pictures, we must protect our cactus and succulent industry. Now I would like to know for the group is the mite dangerous to other species as well? I must warn my friends who grow Aloe as well. All Aloe with this disease must be burned. Berkely Gardens had trouble with a Oak disease the destroyed many our Native Calif. Oaks, when we visited that Garden we had to walk through water that killed what ever they didn't want to spread. It's a good idea to clean tools you cut with so not to spread diseases from species to species, if you use a pesticide in youur soil, you are pretty safe from mealies and most other nasty things that can destroy your plants, now you know what I don't buy from any stores that carry diseased plants. I spy on my plants every morning and every now and then I catch mealies on new growth. Rid of all soil from new plants and spray the new plant. Soap and Water with no detergent will work using 1.5 tbs of soap per gal of water in a hand held spry bottle. Good nite all, it is midnight. Norma

Hi Liisa, Go to the F.A.Q section at the top of the page and you will find a write-up on gall mite with a picture. Thank goodness it's not a problem on this side of the pond! IanS.

If any part of your fuchsia is curling severely or growing in a very deformed manner then you have the misfortune of having contracted fuchsia gall mite (and from the sound of it you have). Fuchsia mite is once again becoming quite common in the United States as more people buy infected fuchsias. Fuchsias were becoming popular in parts of the United States during the 70's and 80's until massive mite infections killed their growing popularity. Sadly I know about this mite all too well. I am a member of the local fuchsia society, which manages a large fuchsia bank of thousands of different varieties of fuchsia as part of a larger 87-acre botanic garden. The garden has been plagued with this mite for several years now. The mites lives inside the foliage, specifically in young growth parts such as new buds or new growth shoots. Saliva from the little microscopic critters causes distortion followed by deformation of the plant parts that eventually will become very severe and overtime will significantly damage the health of the fuchsia or even kill it all together. The mite is HIGHLY infectious, as it is easily spread from one plant to another (method of transmission is unclear, although I suspect hummingbirds play a role) and the mites are dammed difficult to eradicate. I myself have been battling fuchsia mite for several years with varying degrees of success. If fuchsia mite is caught within the first season of infection and the plant is sufficiently small enough for you to be able to spray the surface of all the leaves, then an insecticide that works systemically can kill it if sprayed in 2 or 3 successive and regular applications. You can find a suitable insecticide at any Home Depot or Lowes in the garden center. Any insecticide that specifically says it kills fuchsia mite and is a systemic will do the trick, but make sure the bottle specifically says it will "kill fuchsia mite" and not just simply "kills mites." If you have other fuchsia currently not suffering from this problem, then you do not want to delay in dealing with it, in fact the other fuchsia are probably already infected but the symptoms have not yet show up. If you do decide to spray then make sure you wear adequate protection as recommended on the label and spray all other fuchsia according to the application directions as well as the infected plant in case they too are infected. One last and very important note: MAKE SURE YOUR FUCHIAS ARE WELL WATERED AND ALL LEAF SURFACES ARE DRY BEFORE APPLYING. DO NOT SPRAY THE SOIL SURROUNDING THE PLANT, AS THAT WILL KILL THE ROOTS. TRY NOT TO ALLOW TOO MUCH SPRAY TO DRIP FROM THE FOLIAGE TO THE SOIL SO THE ROOTS WILL NOT BE DAMAGED. DO NOT WATER THE FUCHSIA UNTIL THE INSECTICIDE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO DRY ON THE SURRFACE OF THE LEAFS. ONLY APPLY WHEN TEMPURATES ARE MILD. Good luck Bamboo