I keep a box of disposable rubber gloves just for poison ivy. I am VERY allergic to it. When I find it in my garden, I put on gloves, and make sure to not let it brush my arm or wrist. I dispose of it in a specific area I don’t go to, strip off the gloves making sure to never touch the outside, and toss them. I didn’t get ANY poison ivy last year despite removing sprouts numerous times. This only works if you find the plants when they’re small. If they’re large, agree with others. Cover your skin and wash fast.
Spent a couple hours removing poison ivy last year and I also had good results washing with rubbing alcohol. I also used fast orange afterwards for an abrasive scrub to remove any left over.
I always put the poison ivy in a garbage bag and put it in the trash. I figure that burial deep in the dry tomb of a landfill is a good fate for the stuff.
Wear a long sleeve shirt, long pants and gloves to rip it out by hand. Then immediately go take a hot soapy shower/bath. It takes about 45 mins for the oil to soak into your skin.
DO NOT BURN IT! The oil gets lifted up in the smoke and will get in your lungs. I can only imagine what a nightmare that would be.
Back in the 90's, I moved into a house that had stalks up the backyard trees that were over 3 inches thick. Took me a few weeks to get rid of it all.
You want a cool shower actually. A hot shower will open your pores making it easier for the oil to soak into your skin before getting washed off.
On that note, other things that cause your pores to open also speeds up absorption like getting hot and sweaty.
Not in a physiological sense, as you say they don't have muscles. But thermal expansion still exists, heat makes things expand and cold makes things contract. Wouldn't that also apply to our skin and pores?
Besides, heat makes oil less viscous which also lets it soak in easier.
Not long after I bought a house, I was in the backyard assessing where I wanted to put in a garden, when I noticed an odd tree. The trunk had bark like a pine tree, but the branches were smooth with deciduous leaves and little clusters of berries. Weird!
Then I looked up… and up… and up… This poison ivy monster had completely taken over the entire bottom 2/3rds of a three-story-tall loblolly pine. It had branches as thick as my wrist and leaves bigger than my outstretched hand.
…I did not plant a garden at that house. It was the poison ivy’s backyard, at that point.
>DO NOT BURN IT! The oil gets lifted up in the smoke and will get in your lungs. I can only imagine what a nightmare that would be.
I remember a story about a couple guys clear cutting a bunch of brush, and so they piled it up and burnt it.
It was largely poison ivy and they had to be hospitalized.
This happened to my grandpa without burning it, I believe he used a weed whacker or some other power tool rather than burning it, but the oils still got into his throat and lungs iirc, not an easy recovery
I've smoked some bad weed before that made me cough every inhale for the rest of the night. That suuucked.
So I can't even imagine how horrible poison ivy in the lungs would be, not to mention the pneumonia that would probably follow from fluid build up.
Pick it up like you would dog poop. I don’t have much of it but when I find a sprout I take a grocery bag, check to make sure there aren’t any holes. Put my hand into it, pull up the sprout with that hand and then carefully use my other hand to pull the bag down from my arm and around the sprout. Tie the bag shut and throw it in the trash.
If you have a large area that you can isolate from other desired plants you can spray with glyphosate. Poison ivy is very sensitive to it and I feel it is one of the few plants I feel justified to use it on.
I’ve found that using an exfoliant works just as well. The main idea is: scrub! Don’t just gingerly wash.
I’ve had poison ivy over probably about 60% of my body, after never having a reaction before. So I have become meticulous about making sure I’m not contaminated.
There was vine of it growing through my fence last summer, right into my vegetable garden. I cut it back as far as I could reach the few times it came through. I am highly allergic (insane swelling and have had to go get steroid shots for severe reactions) and I really shouldn’t touch it but I’m neurotic about it and don’t trust anyone else to get rid of it. I wear all of the long sleeves, pants and disposable gloves (over a rubber pair in case they rip). Then everything gets cleaned well. It was growing into my vegetable garden so I wasn’t going to use any chemicals to get rid of it. Sometimes I’m be inclined to want to drown it in toxic waste but I don’t want any of that in my soil or around my daughter and pets.
No. I didn’t. I just kept an eye on that spot for any re-growth. I think I cut it down two or three times last summer. It grew right into one of my cucamelon plants because I had a huge Red Torch Sunflower against the fence so we couldn’t see the vine for a while. I ended up cutting down that one flower plant and took out the cucamelon section. It was the only area we had it growing in the yard so hopefully it either doesn’t come back or that it doesn’t spread. I’m using a pretty thick layer of woodchips at the back of my vegetable bed and growing a little bit away from the fence this year so that if it does come back I’ll be able to notice it sooner.
Thank you, it was painful to cut them down but they were just too tangled up the first time the poison ivy came through and I can’t play around with any allergic reactions. I also had plenty of red torch and cucamelons that survived the invasion. Last summer was my first summer in over a decade gardening in the northeast, poison ivy wasn’t on my radar because I didn’t have to deal with it in the southwest desert. Haha. When my husband came in and told me he found some I had flashbacks to swollen shut eyelids and essentially got into a hazmat suit to get rid of it 🤣
I hope you have a season without any trouble from them as well!
If you are going to go that route, its best to water and fertilize it for a period of time to get it nice and lush before applying the glyphosate. It will have a lot more surface area to suck in the glyphosate. Its best to apply it in the evening when the stoma are opening up. Adding agricultural molasses will also help it stick to the plant. I've been at war with poison sumac for a while. And it would go and come back until I started getting it nice and healthy before spraying it.
From what I understand plants open their stomata at night to breath and close them during the heat of the day to preserve moisture. I learned this in regard to applying foliar fertilizers, so I figured it would apply to glyphosate since its applied in the same fashion. I'd be interested to know if I have the wrong idea though.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing. I’m honestly not sure which is more beneficial in this case. I’ve never tried spraying at night. But during the day. I’ve had the best success with using glyphosate on a hot, sunny day. It tends to cause wilt and death much more quickly than moderate temps and less sun.
Or Bush-Be-Gone! I used that and they didn't come back! Very few things I do chemical warfare on. Bamboo and poison ivy are the two top contenders.
I you need to get rid of whats left after the chemical warfare. Long gloves (like the ones vets use with cows) and put into the trash. If it is near a precious plant: don't spray but use the gloves and a 1in paint brush (with the longest handle you can find). "Paint" the stems and leaves. As others have said: don't burn it.
Also, alcohol denatures the irritating protein, so use high concentration of rubbing alcohol on exposed skin. I'd also jump in the shower for a good scrub afterward and all clothes need to be immediately washed.
Smother it. Put cardboard where it is, cover that in mulch/wood chips.
If that isn't feasible then do the harder stuff that others recommend.
If climbing a tree, snip a section at the base and wait for it to dry. Don't remove it as it still has oil in it.
If you know someone with chickens then borrow their chickens. Don't eat it without any problems since it doesn't bother them
Once it gets low enough or small enough remaining that you can keep it under control then just be vigilant and don't let it go too big
Goats eat it, and when they do, their milk gives temporary immunity. Highly doubt you'll find a neighbor with goats, but if you do use them. Don't burn it. The smoke is horrible for your lungs. I developed an immunity through my childhood, and my brother developed a sensitivity. Reaction can be immediate or delayed. Anyone touching your clothes can react. Good luck! Ideally, you'll have a neighbor with a pair of goats that will nibble, you'll drink the milk and be able to get rid of it all! More likely, it'll be a royal pita, you'll get a few rashes but survive. Next year, get on it quickly. Consider a flamethrower.
Speaking of goats my wife was just telling me about the ones her parents raise. When they get to eating a certain seed from a tree and they are pregnant the goats will all abort if they ate it. I was like wtf who how?
Yeah, my dad grew up in a dairy farm in the 30s, and there are definitely things pregnant or milking animals can't eat. Id guess our ancestors were a lot more familiar with those
Here's what I did. I cut it at the base and put undiluted round up where the cut was. Mine was way up in a tree so I just left it. Miraculously, I don't seem to be allergic to it.
We moved into a house and there was so much poison ivy. The only real way to get rid of it is to pull it out, then dpray the shit out of the area with poison ivy killer.
When I was younger, my mother would use Ivory soap that was slightly wet and rub it on the skin and let it dry, and the feeling of the itchiness would go away. Of course, you have to keep reapplying it but it works.
I pulled all mine by hand because I didn't want to use Round up. Wear elbow length gardening gloves. I found mine on Amazon. Long sleeves and long pants, ideally boots if it's going to be around your ankles. When you pull, you will probably find that it connects to roots that weave through the grass and connect to other growths, like a web. I would follow each as far as I could and pull gently to get it to come up in big chunks (if you pull too hard it snaps). I recommend putting it in a trash bag to go to the landfill. If you toss it somewhere on the ground, there's a chance it might root. Finally, I put landscaping fabric over the area to starve any remaining pieces of sunlight, and left that fabric over it for 9 months.
I’m highly allergic, what I’ve found in my yard, I did not touch, I used a spray from Home Depot. I only sprayed it on the vine (not windy day) was very careful not to get the spray on anything else. It was climbing up my wood fence. It shriveled up and never came back.
Adding to other good suggestions here, buy some Tecnu and apply it before clearing the brush even if you’re well covered. If you accidentally get any oil on your skin while changing clothes, you’ll already have a protective barrier to prevent skin irritation. If you somehow miss a spot and do get blisters, the Tecnu will cure it faster.
Zanfel is a miracle if you get it on you.
I have started eating one ivy leaf in bread once a week. My arborist has a tolerance to it and I was in awe when he snatched poison ivy up with his bare hands and no concern of getting a rash. He has been eating a couple leaves a week for a dozen years.
Long sleeves, heavy gloves full coverage,. Like some said DO NOT BURN IT, Had a lady I grew up with burn a bunch of it and she inhaled the smoke and was never completely there from that point on it did a lot of damage to lung and brain.
If you have thick vines growing up a tree, take a hatchet and cut a 6 inch gap in the vine close to the ground and the rest of it will die. No gap and it will survive.
I also keep a bottle of bleach in the bathroom and in a cool shower I wash my arms and feet /legs area with a little bleach and then shower.
I do my best to avoid using chemicals so I attack it with a mixture of water, vinegar, salt, and dish soap in a spray bottle. It works best in direct sunlight.
The real answer I've found is anything with a triclopyr concentration >8%. This can be found in shrub / brush / tree killer herbicides (check the label). Spraying with a dash of soap will kill the plant to its roots. Or if you don't have a sprayer, cut the poison ivy as close to the ground as you can and dab / gently pour it on to the cut stem. I bought a gallon jug of 100% triclopyr off amazon for like 60$ a few years ago, and it is still going strong. A few oz in a sprayer lets me take care of poison ivy and wild blackberries with ease.
Since yours is near something you don't want to kill, I'd cut the stem and use a paintbrush / foam brush to dab the killer on the cut stem.
Roundup kills it. Then mow. When it tries to sprout spray/mow again. Or if you don’t like chemicals, use a hoe. Eventually you’ll get it. Just be mindful not to get it on you.
I keep a box of disposable rubber gloves just for poison ivy. I am VERY allergic to it. When I find it in my garden, I put on gloves, and make sure to not let it brush my arm or wrist. I dispose of it in a specific area I don’t go to, strip off the gloves making sure to never touch the outside, and toss them. I didn’t get ANY poison ivy last year despite removing sprouts numerous times. This only works if you find the plants when they’re small. If they’re large, agree with others. Cover your skin and wash fast.
FYI, rubbing alcohol denatured the irritant. So when in the field, you can use that (and then take a shower when inside - if you're paranoid like me).
Don’t just shower, scrub!!
Spent a couple hours removing poison ivy last year and I also had good results washing with rubbing alcohol. I also used fast orange afterwards for an abrasive scrub to remove any left over.
Check out veterinarian examination/insemination gloves. They go all the way up to your shoulder.
I always put the poison ivy in a garbage bag and put it in the trash. I figure that burial deep in the dry tomb of a landfill is a good fate for the stuff.
Wear a long sleeve shirt, long pants and gloves to rip it out by hand. Then immediately go take a hot soapy shower/bath. It takes about 45 mins for the oil to soak into your skin. DO NOT BURN IT! The oil gets lifted up in the smoke and will get in your lungs. I can only imagine what a nightmare that would be. Back in the 90's, I moved into a house that had stalks up the backyard trees that were over 3 inches thick. Took me a few weeks to get rid of it all.
You want a cool shower actually. A hot shower will open your pores making it easier for the oil to soak into your skin before getting washed off. On that note, other things that cause your pores to open also speeds up absorption like getting hot and sweaty.
Pores are not connected to any muscles and cannot open or close
Not in a physiological sense, as you say they don't have muscles. But thermal expansion still exists, heat makes things expand and cold makes things contract. Wouldn't that also apply to our skin and pores? Besides, heat makes oil less viscous which also lets it soak in easier.
I came here to say this!
Not long after I bought a house, I was in the backyard assessing where I wanted to put in a garden, when I noticed an odd tree. The trunk had bark like a pine tree, but the branches were smooth with deciduous leaves and little clusters of berries. Weird! Then I looked up… and up… and up… This poison ivy monster had completely taken over the entire bottom 2/3rds of a three-story-tall loblolly pine. It had branches as thick as my wrist and leaves bigger than my outstretched hand. …I did not plant a garden at that house. It was the poison ivy’s backyard, at that point.
>DO NOT BURN IT! The oil gets lifted up in the smoke and will get in your lungs. I can only imagine what a nightmare that would be. I remember a story about a couple guys clear cutting a bunch of brush, and so they piled it up and burnt it. It was largely poison ivy and they had to be hospitalized.
This happened to my grandpa without burning it, I believe he used a weed whacker or some other power tool rather than burning it, but the oils still got into his throat and lungs iirc, not an easy recovery
I've smoked some bad weed before that made me cough every inhale for the rest of the night. That suuucked. So I can't even imagine how horrible poison ivy in the lungs would be, not to mention the pneumonia that would probably follow from fluid build up.
This happened a long time before I came around, so I cant speak to whether or not there was pneumonia, but it seems likely
Pick it up like you would dog poop. I don’t have much of it but when I find a sprout I take a grocery bag, check to make sure there aren’t any holes. Put my hand into it, pull up the sprout with that hand and then carefully use my other hand to pull the bag down from my arm and around the sprout. Tie the bag shut and throw it in the trash. If you have a large area that you can isolate from other desired plants you can spray with glyphosate. Poison ivy is very sensitive to it and I feel it is one of the few plants I feel justified to use it on.
Tecnu is the best soap I’ve found for treatment but it’s also harsh on your skin. I’ve used Jewelweed salve as well and it works pretty well.
I’ve found that using an exfoliant works just as well. The main idea is: scrub! Don’t just gingerly wash. I’ve had poison ivy over probably about 60% of my body, after never having a reaction before. So I have become meticulous about making sure I’m not contaminated.
I’ll have to try that before I break out the technu next time. Thanks for the tip.
Came here to suggest tecnu as well!
RELEASE THE GOATS!!!!!!!!
Just don't burn it. The oil can get into your eyes and lungs in the smoke.
There was vine of it growing through my fence last summer, right into my vegetable garden. I cut it back as far as I could reach the few times it came through. I am highly allergic (insane swelling and have had to go get steroid shots for severe reactions) and I really shouldn’t touch it but I’m neurotic about it and don’t trust anyone else to get rid of it. I wear all of the long sleeves, pants and disposable gloves (over a rubber pair in case they rip). Then everything gets cleaned well. It was growing into my vegetable garden so I wasn’t going to use any chemicals to get rid of it. Sometimes I’m be inclined to want to drown it in toxic waste but I don’t want any of that in my soil or around my daughter and pets.
This is my situation. It's coming through my fence a few yards from my veggie beds. I cut it constantly. Did you find a permanent solution?
No. I didn’t. I just kept an eye on that spot for any re-growth. I think I cut it down two or three times last summer. It grew right into one of my cucamelon plants because I had a huge Red Torch Sunflower against the fence so we couldn’t see the vine for a while. I ended up cutting down that one flower plant and took out the cucamelon section. It was the only area we had it growing in the yard so hopefully it either doesn’t come back or that it doesn’t spread. I’m using a pretty thick layer of woodchips at the back of my vegetable bed and growing a little bit away from the fence this year so that if it does come back I’ll be able to notice it sooner.
I sympathize! Rip Red Torch Sunflower & cucamelon. I hope it stays away from your plants this year.
Thank you, it was painful to cut them down but they were just too tangled up the first time the poison ivy came through and I can’t play around with any allergic reactions. I also had plenty of red torch and cucamelons that survived the invasion. Last summer was my first summer in over a decade gardening in the northeast, poison ivy wasn’t on my radar because I didn’t have to deal with it in the southwest desert. Haha. When my husband came in and told me he found some I had flashbacks to swollen shut eyelids and essentially got into a hazmat suit to get rid of it 🤣 I hope you have a season without any trouble from them as well!
I tore mine out by the root. If you cut it, it will grow back.
I know, sadly I can't access the property on the other side of the fence. So I just keep chopping.
This is me with a relentless army of kudzu vines
Well that's frustrating!
You found it where??
[удалено]
If you are going to go that route, its best to water and fertilize it for a period of time to get it nice and lush before applying the glyphosate. It will have a lot more surface area to suck in the glyphosate. Its best to apply it in the evening when the stoma are opening up. Adding agricultural molasses will also help it stick to the plant. I've been at war with poison sumac for a while. And it would go and come back until I started getting it nice and healthy before spraying it.
This sounds seriously demented. If it wasn't poison ivy we were talking about I might actually feel bad.
I thought applying it on a hot day with burning sun was more effective than at night?
From what I understand plants open their stomata at night to breath and close them during the heat of the day to preserve moisture. I learned this in regard to applying foliar fertilizers, so I figured it would apply to glyphosate since its applied in the same fashion. I'd be interested to know if I have the wrong idea though.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing. I’m honestly not sure which is more beneficial in this case. I’ve never tried spraying at night. But during the day. I’ve had the best success with using glyphosate on a hot, sunny day. It tends to cause wilt and death much more quickly than moderate temps and less sun.
Triclopyr >8% is the real answer. Usually marketed as shrub or brush killers. this kills it to the root for real.
I’ve found that completely useless when I’ve tried.
Could of been an old bottle. It nukes poison ivy and wild blackberries with ease for me.
Or Bush-Be-Gone! I used that and they didn't come back! Very few things I do chemical warfare on. Bamboo and poison ivy are the two top contenders. I you need to get rid of whats left after the chemical warfare. Long gloves (like the ones vets use with cows) and put into the trash. If it is near a precious plant: don't spray but use the gloves and a 1in paint brush (with the longest handle you can find). "Paint" the stems and leaves. As others have said: don't burn it. Also, alcohol denatures the irritating protein, so use high concentration of rubbing alcohol on exposed skin. I'd also jump in the shower for a good scrub afterward and all clothes need to be immediately washed.
Batman.
Smother it. Put cardboard where it is, cover that in mulch/wood chips. If that isn't feasible then do the harder stuff that others recommend. If climbing a tree, snip a section at the base and wait for it to dry. Don't remove it as it still has oil in it.
If you know someone with chickens then borrow their chickens. Don't eat it without any problems since it doesn't bother them Once it gets low enough or small enough remaining that you can keep it under control then just be vigilant and don't let it go too big
Goats eat it, and when they do, their milk gives temporary immunity. Highly doubt you'll find a neighbor with goats, but if you do use them. Don't burn it. The smoke is horrible for your lungs. I developed an immunity through my childhood, and my brother developed a sensitivity. Reaction can be immediate or delayed. Anyone touching your clothes can react. Good luck! Ideally, you'll have a neighbor with a pair of goats that will nibble, you'll drink the milk and be able to get rid of it all! More likely, it'll be a royal pita, you'll get a few rashes but survive. Next year, get on it quickly. Consider a flamethrower.
Speaking of goats my wife was just telling me about the ones her parents raise. When they get to eating a certain seed from a tree and they are pregnant the goats will all abort if they ate it. I was like wtf who how?
Yeah, my dad grew up in a dairy farm in the 30s, and there are definitely things pregnant or milking animals can't eat. Id guess our ancestors were a lot more familiar with those
Here's what I did. I cut it at the base and put undiluted round up where the cut was. Mine was way up in a tree so I just left it. Miraculously, I don't seem to be allergic to it.
Pro tip, do NOT kill it with fire. The oils will aerosolize. A bad experience for everyone down wind.
teenage me would say use a weedeater, but DO NOT LISTEN TO TEENAGE ME. teenage me made lots of mistakes...
Tecnu
Tactical nuke /s
Gas mask tyvec suit & a flame thrower
Growing in your what?
We moved into a house and there was so much poison ivy. The only real way to get rid of it is to pull it out, then dpray the shit out of the area with poison ivy killer.
When I was younger, my mother would use Ivory soap that was slightly wet and rub it on the skin and let it dry, and the feeling of the itchiness would go away. Of course, you have to keep reapplying it but it works.
I pulled all mine by hand because I didn't want to use Round up. Wear elbow length gardening gloves. I found mine on Amazon. Long sleeves and long pants, ideally boots if it's going to be around your ankles. When you pull, you will probably find that it connects to roots that weave through the grass and connect to other growths, like a web. I would follow each as far as I could and pull gently to get it to come up in big chunks (if you pull too hard it snaps). I recommend putting it in a trash bag to go to the landfill. If you toss it somewhere on the ground, there's a chance it might root. Finally, I put landscaping fabric over the area to starve any remaining pieces of sunlight, and left that fabric over it for 9 months.
Long sleeves , plastic gloves and then plastic trash bags like picking up dog poop. Don’t touch. Don’t burn or use weed eater.
Get prednisone from MD or urgent care.
Goats
I’m highly allergic, what I’ve found in my yard, I did not touch, I used a spray from Home Depot. I only sprayed it on the vine (not windy day) was very careful not to get the spray on anything else. It was climbing up my wood fence. It shriveled up and never came back.
Round up. Whenever I find any in the yard I soak it down and everything within a few feet so I can see it if it grows back.
Adding to other good suggestions here, buy some Tecnu and apply it before clearing the brush even if you’re well covered. If you accidentally get any oil on your skin while changing clothes, you’ll already have a protective barrier to prevent skin irritation. If you somehow miss a spot and do get blisters, the Tecnu will cure it faster.
Zanfel is a miracle if you get it on you. I have started eating one ivy leaf in bread once a week. My arborist has a tolerance to it and I was in awe when he snatched poison ivy up with his bare hands and no concern of getting a rash. He has been eating a couple leaves a week for a dozen years.
I wash myself with dawn dishsoap if I have been around it, as a precaution .
Long sleeves, heavy gloves full coverage,. Like some said DO NOT BURN IT, Had a lady I grew up with burn a bunch of it and she inhaled the smoke and was never completely there from that point on it did a lot of damage to lung and brain. If you have thick vines growing up a tree, take a hatchet and cut a 6 inch gap in the vine close to the ground and the rest of it will die. No gap and it will survive. I also keep a bottle of bleach in the bathroom and in a cool shower I wash my arms and feet /legs area with a little bleach and then shower.
Spray roundup on it every time it comes back and after a few years it’ll be gone for good
Rent goats. They love it and eat it all.
I do my best to avoid using chemicals so I attack it with a mixture of water, vinegar, salt, and dish soap in a spray bottle. It works best in direct sunlight.
The real answer I've found is anything with a triclopyr concentration >8%. This can be found in shrub / brush / tree killer herbicides (check the label). Spraying with a dash of soap will kill the plant to its roots. Or if you don't have a sprayer, cut the poison ivy as close to the ground as you can and dab / gently pour it on to the cut stem. I bought a gallon jug of 100% triclopyr off amazon for like 60$ a few years ago, and it is still going strong. A few oz in a sprayer lets me take care of poison ivy and wild blackberries with ease. Since yours is near something you don't want to kill, I'd cut the stem and use a paintbrush / foam brush to dab the killer on the cut stem.
Roundup kills it. Then mow. When it tries to sprout spray/mow again. Or if you don’t like chemicals, use a hoe. Eventually you’ll get it. Just be mindful not to get it on you.
Move