Killing Poison Ivy

Roundup will work but not that great. Sometimes mixing it with diesel will help it stick better. They make stuff that is called poison ivy and brush killer that works better.

How to get rid of it? Don't ever touch it. Wait for all signs of it to go away. I hate to say it but if it were me I would abandon the area for a long period of time after spraying it several times. By a long time I mean years not months. Either that or find someone to come over that doesn't get it and have him pull the stuff out after a few weeks. I also get it pretty easy and just stay away from it if at all possible.

Rent a few goats. They'll eat it.

What is the pH of your yard? I have observed that poison ivy loves the harsh environment created by the pitch pine, but barely grows under red and white oaks. My first guess is that increasing the pH may stunt it, but I have nobody backing me up.

Your yard must be a beautiful red in the fall (if you get a fall down there).

Must be a regional thing. The vacant lot next door that I bought a few years back was mostly red and white oaks with a few poplars and hickory's mixed in. The ground was covered with poison ivy and several of the trees had arm sized vines growing up them. Clay soils with chert mixed in for what it's worth.

You are right about the burning...DON'T do it.

The trouble with plant surface applied herbicide (Roundup) is the "slick" of the leaf. It's hard to find something that will stay on the leaf long enough to absorb. I've had (fair) results just as good with diesel. And although the smell is fowl, I believe the sunlight breaks the diesel down fairly quickly, if you're worried about the ecological impact on your property. You local nursery might know of a good herbicide for slick foliage.

Otherwise you could plant Kudzu in hopes it chokes out the poison ivy...

I've read you can spray plants with undiluted white vinegar and that will kill them. Probably safer than herbicide. I like the goat idea. Apparently they love the stuff.

Huh, sandy acidic soils here. The Ivy growing up the pines is massive, the stuff growing up the oaks is spindly. Perhaps the roots can invade the pines easier to drink water. Where's the water table in those clay soils? It's usually more than 10' in the sand. My house is at elevation 60 and the water table probably around 20 (1 mile to Nantucket Sound where groundwater is at elevation 2).

> How do you dispose of the dead vines and leaves without contaminating yourself?
Hire a landscape crew to take care of it.

Seriously, I'd glove up, long pants and shirt, boots, etc. Maybe tape up the cuffs.
Seal it up in plastic bags. All the clothes in the wash machine within a couple hours of first contact, then straight to the shower with strong soap. The oils wash off with soap, and as long as you get the oils off of you, and your clothes, before they can bond to your skin you will be okay.

> .... I like the goat idea. Apparently they love the stuff.
In the Portland area there is a guy who hires out a herd of goats to eat up blackberries. Apparently they can clear several acres a day.

The information found here pertains to poison oak, but should be useful in poison ivy control as well. The plants are very similar.

The water table is typically much deeper here but that lot has a wet weather spring that keeps the lot permanently damp.

Tennessee should be named the Poison Ivy State. It's a rare property that doesn't have at least a small patch and most have full infestations. Like the Wikipedia page on poison ivy says, it grows in sun and shade, wet and dry conditions, and changes its growth habit from vine to shrub depending on the environment.

If you can't stay out of the ivy, you can try this Cure. I've used it for years with 100% results. It worked so well I bought it for the crew. I got mine at Williams Pharmacy east side of Lexington, OK. The only problem is you must plan ahead and take it before the ivy turns green, late February to early March around here.

speaking of Lexington, Ok..

..bridge opens tomorrow. The bridge closure that has cut my "surveyin' woods" in half. It's been a pain in the butt this last six or seven months.

Just hit it with some 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
Or 2-4D, it will kill it all the first year, with a minor amount coming back the following year, then gone the third.

Just be careful how you store and dispense the herbicide. It's not good for the water table if used improperly.

speaking of Lexington, Ok..

I never did hear what the fix was, I assume larger bolt on plates. The last time I crossed it was for the controlled hunt last season. Made a lot of trips across that bridge when I had one helper, that lived south of the prison, I would pickup when we were working in that direction.

> If you can't stay out of the ivy, you can try this Cure. I've used it for years with 100% results.

I've used this -- or a similar "build your immunity" oral concoction -- twice in my life, once as a child and once as an adult. Both times I got a rash at the back of my throat and another one around my anus. (Apologies for the unsavory imagery.) In neither case was there any discernible diminution in reactivity to plant contact.

As is often the case with allergic reactions, what works for one person may be utterly ineffective in another.

First up I'd have to say I know NOTHING about poison ivy - we dont get it here (phew)

But if you are looking at Roundup and wondering if it will work, I'd ask if you guys can get a herbicide called "Tordon"?

Its more of a brushkiller and it works really well on gorse and on blackberry.

You can add a surfectant to help it stick - but I've never found it necessary.

It is usually mixed with water for spray application, and you can mix with diesel for putting on cut stumps to prevent regrowth.

Maybe this has promise, but I doubt it, or it would be on the shelves by now...

http://www.google.com/patents/US20050239715

and I would be the first to buy it.

You haven't lived until you've had both hands 90% covered with giant weeping blisters for a couple weeks------twice a year.

I've had it in January, from breaking the roots while scrabbling around digging up those pesky survey markers.

Yup suiting up is the way to go, just pick a rare cool summer morning to do the work. Also as a preventative measure you should probably apply some of Tecnu products. They have one called Armor that helps prevent the oil form adhering to your skin. Then after you finished the work you can wipe down their skin cleanser. Pretty good product. Just make sure you don't use hot/warm water as per their instructions. Most of our field trucks have the Tecnu cleanser in them.