How to get rid of Poison Ivy?

[LaydeeBug]

I think I am going to have to buy a herbicide.

I hate the use of chemicals, but my kittehs are laying in it as we speak.


UGH!!!

[libodem]

1. That is such a dangerous plant

I can't think of another, more safe way to kill it. You can't burn it the smoke is poisonous. If it touches your clothing or shoes you can get it back onto your hands.

I don't know if you could use enough personal protection gear to be safe digging it up? You'd have to be able to wash your gloves and clothing, and clean off the shoes you wear. I'd suggest a mask and eye protection if you are thinking of pulling it up.


Good luck. Round up is nasty but it has its place. It is meant to degrade and turn inert when it hits dirt. You may want to spray the dust off of the leaves first. And it should be done on a hot day so the leaves will carry the herbicide to the roots.

Good luck!

[ms liberty]

2. I don' t know how, other than an herbicide, but...

If you do get some on you or think you have, immediately wash the affected areas with a powdered (clothes washing) detergent. The enzymes in detergents will break down and wash away the poison. My husband was told this by a dermatologist after having gotten it for the umpteenth time. He practically just has to look at it to get it! It seems to work pretty well. I got one of those parmesean cheese shakers and put some in it (along with a small spoonful of rice to keep it from clumping) which I keep by the kitchen sink.

[obxhead]

3. herbicide is only half the battle.

The leaves and vines will still have the oils on them even after you kill it so it will have to be pulled out by hand.

Prepare by getting some poison ivy soap beforehand so you can shower immediately after the work. This same soap can be used to clean your clothes as well. They also make lotions you can apply that block the oils from even getting to your skin.

Personally though I would skip the herbicide if the kitties make it a hangout spot.

Good luck

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. I killed mine with full strength vinegar.

I used the pickling type and mixed 1 oz of orange oil per gallon of vinegar. Spray it on during the growing season at the hottest point of the day. Covering all the growth. Be very careful about drift because it'll kill any foliage it lands on.

This needs to be done again when new growth comes back. It took me about 2 months of spraying before it finally died completely.

Oh, be sure and wash your sprayer really well after you spray this. The acid is bad on the parts.

Good luck! It's such a nuisance to deal with poison ivy.

[BlueStreak]

5. As to treating the rash

The problem is the itch-scratch cycle. That damages the skin and makes healing take much longer. As someone very allergic to P.I., I have found that an antihistamine can help a lot in controlling the itching. It is histamines that cause the irritation and swelling, I believe. If you can lower the itching and avoid scratching for a few days, that can cut the recovery time way down.

Another thing -- don't take a hot bath or shower after exposure. Soapy tepid water -- as cool as you can stand it. Hot water opens the pores, making it easier for the oils to get under the skin.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. We had it here.

I reluctantly used Roundup.
Took 2 seasons...first season it looked to have died but in spring some came back.

As for the treatment..I got some on my fingers, somehow. I wrapped Tuff strip bandaids around the affected place, kept the wraps on for a week. Stopped the itch and the spread.

[Curmudgeoness]

7. My neighbor had good luck with Roundup

and although I do not like to use any chemicals, if you are allergic to poison ivy, you just do not want to mess with it. This is one instance where I believe the benefit/harm ratio is in the favor of Roundup. The patch of poison ivy that my neighbor treated all died after one treatment. I am one of those extremely lucky people who is not allergic to it, and I just pull mine out when it shows up, but it is a never ending fight. I have pulled, dug, and pulled some more, but it still comes back. It is really hard to get rid of, so I would be willing to use the nuclear option of Roundup if I worried about it. I don't know if you will win any other way.

Good luck.

And are you going to have to bathe the cats?????

[NutmegYankee]

8. I've used the Ortho Max Poison Ivy and Tough Brush Killer to great success

Be warned, it kills everything in the area. After that, the ivy will biodegrade and disappear.

[femmocrat]

9. That is what we use too.

It still comes back the following year though. We have it along an old fence that is overgrown with blackberry bushes, wild roses, etc. We can never get all of it.

[TalkingDog]

10. Grow catnip

Old folk wisdom has it that it will drive out the poison ivy and the kittehs can roll in it to their hearts content. Of course it's invasive, soo.....lots of catnip and stoned kittehs, but no poison ivy.


It's a choice.

[LaydeeBug]

11. That sounds like a GREAT idea, since Roundup for Poison Ivy did NOTHING

Nothing at all.

I will try Ortho next and then after it's cleared, plant some catnip. One of the areas is a small patch surrounded by sidewalk. I was going to grow climbing hydrangeas (but won't until the house gets painted...a few months...when I can breathe) but this might be a better alternative that I can do right now.

[BlueToTheBone]

12. Straight apple cidar vinegar

sprayed on or use gasoline and paint it on the leaves. Herbicides are such broad spectrum killer, start small and work up. I know vinegar works, I'm using it. I haven't started on the tree with poison ivy, but that's on my list.

[LaydeeBug]

13. So does that kill everything? Or just the poison? nt

[BlueToTheBone]

14. vinegar changes the ph balance

and will "fry" the roots of what ever plant you spray or paint it on. So, if you over spray, it will injure the plants next to it. Unlike Roundup, this is not a poison. The ph balance will readjust and you may need to reapply if you find more. My friends use gasoline and paint the leaves. If you have a giant bush, that would be difficult.

You can get a little one gallon sprayer at any home improvement store; be sure and wash it out after the vinegar. Good luck.

[beac]

17. Thanks for the reminder about vinegar to kill off undesirables!

I had actually tried vinegar several years ago to kill PI w/limited success.

However, in our new house we have one of those weed multi-leaf-frond trees (not sure the name) growing in the dirt outside one of the basement casement windows. The previous owner was dealing w/this by just trimming it back (after clearly letting it get out of control at some point b/c the trunk is substantial.)

Yesterday, I went out there and poured a gallon of white vinegar (all I had on hand) onto the leaves and into the dirt surrounding it. Even w/last night's light rain, the plant is already dying off this morning! Hoping a few more treatments will kill it and then we can yank up the corpse.

[alfie]

15. Borrow some goats

Not for everyone, but a friend let me borrow two goats for a week...they ate every scrap of poison ivy in my wooded area. Just keep them away from anything you want to keep...they will eat it too. They also like kudzu.

[NJCher]

16. wow, what a great idea

Do you have any idea how I might find some goats?

I don't have a friend with goats.

Should I advertise on Craigslist to borrow some goats? That's all I can think of!!

Would the goats wander off without a fence?

I love this idea.

-----------------

OK, here's my answer on the poison ivy. My answer is based on eradicating another very tough weed whose roots go nine-feet deep.

First, I would never use Roundup. Check the latest news on Roundup (there are new findings, and they are disturbing, indeed). It sounds like there are some viable options suggested by posters on this thread--the vinegar, the gasoline.

I have poison ivy on my property, too, and here is my plan to eradicate it:

I am going to take a weed wacker to it, but prior to doing so, spray paint parts of it with a color like neon orange. After it has fallen to the ground, I will leave it there until it dries up. Then I will carefully put it into a bag with tongs (while wearing long-sleeved gloves and being fully protected with clothing--long-sleeved shirt duct-taped to my long-sleeve gloves, for example). The reasoning here is that it is much easier to handle in its dried out state than it is when it's fully green.

Yes I know it is still as powerful dried out as it is green.

The next thing to do--to avoid digging it out--is to smother it. Cover the area where it's growing with a couple pieces of cardboard. Pile leaves on top and secure it with a brick or a piece of concrete.

That's it. The only other thing you have to do on a regular basis is to go check it to see if it grew beyond the cardboard. If it does, chop it off and deny it light. If you keep doing this, it has to die because it is denied what it needs to survive.

Even if you do the goats, you'd have to mark the area and smother the poison ivy to make sure it doesn't come back.

Poison ivy is formidable, but my method is both time-saving and will minimize the direct contact.



Cher

[alfie]

18. The goats were fun to have around

I tethered them to a cement block and moved it around. They get tangled up in bushes, wind their rope around trees, etc, so need to be checked on frequently. I also kept big basins of water for them. The poison ivy did not grow back, they were pretty thorough. They also ate wild blackberry bushes that had grown to the "weed" stage in my yard.

I agree with your plan too...goats aren't available just anywhere. (I have heard of folks that rent them out to get rid of kudzu, though). Cardboard, junk mail, newspapers are underneath everything in my yard and covered with either mulch (paths) or compost (veggie and flower beds). Weed seeds still blow in or are dropped by neighborhood birds, but nothing like un-covered ground.

[NJCher]

19. news

They had a feature on goats on the news last night! I can't remember where, but they were using them exactly like what you described. They're so cute! I would love to have them around for a day or two!!

I wonder if I should start a goal rental service? Hmmmm. Or maybe there already is one!?


It's a slam-dunk if the poison ivy didn't come back! They must have a way of gnawing down to the root?



Cher

[NJCher]

21. on PBS tonight

That goat story is going to be on PBS news tonight, 8/9.


Cher

[Stinky The Clown]

20. There was a radio news story that the feds are using goats in out of the way federal properties.

They focused on the story of a pre-Civil War cemetery for slaves that is now neglected and overgrown. Much of it is infested with poison ivy. They set up temporary fencing and let the goats have at it.

They cleared everything. A big thing is that goats digest the poison ivy seeds so they don't spread that way either.

The downside is that the goats are indiscriminate in their choice of green eats.