Efforts to control kudzu infestations have included the following methods: cutting, grazing, digging, disking, prescribed burning and application of herbicides. Roots of mature plants grow too deeply to be affected by freezing. Burning will kill only the very young plants.
Ideally, simply pulling out the heavy vines would prevent the kudzu from returning. However, you still need to kill each of the rooted stems at their crowns. Mowing or cutting back the vegetation to the ground provides the first step in removal. Then it’s time to bring out the big guns in the form of chemical herbicides.