How to Grow Kudzu From Seeds

Remove seeds from ripe fruit. Select seeds out of vines that are draping, avoiding those plants that are growing in open patches as they tend not to flower. Seeds are produced in pods that form from purple flowers and generally can be obtained in October and November. One or two seeds may be viable in each cluster of pods.

Scrape seed coats with sandpaper thoroughly to remove their hard outer coating. Kudzu seeds can lie dormant for many years before germinating. The coats must be made permeable to water or seeds will not germinate. Scrape seeds moderately, keeping seed coat intact, for best results.

Place seeds in pots filled with loose, well-draining potting soil. Water to keep soil moist. If direct-seeding, select deep, loamy soil and avoid sandy or clay soils that are poorly draining.

Control the spread of the kudzu vine by cutting back stems. Otherwise, the plant quickly can overtake buildings, trees and basically anything that gets in its way. For this reason, avoid providing fertilizer to this invasive plant and do not plant near neighbor's yards as the vine will invade their area.