kudzu is not even a problem compared to more invasive plants/vines like ENGLISH IVY (which is present in like 47 states iirc) and JAPANESE KNOTWEED (42/50 states) & that isn't even bringing up hyper-competitive decorative trees/shrubs like **ALL TYPES OF PRIVET ** but mfers who can't tell the difference between kudzu, mile-a-minute, and knotweed when they're driving on 70kmh on a highway/road will have you believe kudzu has swallowed the entirety of southern forests when in reality it doesn't really like anything further than the forest edge or an open field.

Kudzu grows fast and is a bitch to get rid of once established, sure, but it doesn't actually reproduce fast - it only disperses like a couple of seeds yearly and those don't immediately germinate. Meanwhile Japanese Knotweed, by the way, is perfectly happy creating its own little thicket in worse areas than kudzu does like frequently flooded areas, the shorelines of creeks/streams, and even straight through asphalt.

Kudzu spreads quickly thanks to its runners; Japanese Knotweed does that and then ups the ante by dispersing a fuckton more seeds by wind & water & bird.

Don't get me started on privets - literally rented a house a few years ago that had a fairly young (maybe 4-5 years old) Chinese Privet that was the only thing in the (largely uncared for) backyard because the topsoil hadn't been amended in years so it was largely nutrient starved loamy sand. Told the landlord the privet was invasive and bound to fill the entire backyard in a few years with its offspring & clones. Pointed out that the tree itself was growing right next to the wooden deck (literally it was planted right next to the corner post) & eventually would either begin to overtake it or. Asked if I could cut it down & offered to even spend my own money treating the stump so it didn't grow back and buying/planting some native alternatives.

"Please do not make any alterations to the yard that cannot be mowed or easily removed after your lease is up. And no, we'd like the tree to stay."

I spent so much time making sneaky cuts into the trunk and applying herbicide in the hopes that fucker would die, but it was still thriving by the time my lease ended two years later. I did fix the rest of the backyard though by buying a bunch of native bird seed & 'feeding' the birds by spreading it out back with extra compost I wasn't using for my potted plants. Landlord was very surprised to see a bunch of milkweed plants and clover covering the backyard when they came by for the move-out inspection but I know in my heart they probably mowed that shit down 2 days after I moved out so the privet could out-compete literally nothing.