Poison Ivy -- HELP!!!

[Efreet]

I have a beautiful 40-acre piece of land in Central Vermont that is partially house site and lawn (~2 acres), woods (~24 acres) and fields (~13 acres). The land is bordered on one side by an old, abandoned apple orchard that is covered --in addition to old apple trees -- by wild raspberry and poison ivy.

The poison ivy has been creeping over to my land, and soon it will be near the house and the kids' play area. I have desperately tried to deal with this over the past years. Round-up (poison ivy specific) did not seem to control the problem. It did kill the grass and the nearby trees, but no appreciable dent to the poison ivy density.

The worst problem area we are talking about is a strip about fifty yards long and thirty yards wide. It is sparsely wooded, mainly by white ash and hickory trees. The undergrowth is nice fine grass -- with an increasing density of the ivy. I would love to "draw a line in the sand" and eradicate the poison ivy from that area, and keep it from taking hold again.

I am now getting a compact utility tractor with a loader, mower deck, rotary cutter and box blade, among other attachments. Here are some possibilities that I have been mulling over:

* might I be able to keep poison ivy down if I keep mowing the area frequently, and cutting it very short?

* How about if I go at it with the box blade and loader? Keep leveling and box blading the area for a year or two, then re-plant with grass?

* If the above approaches fail, does anyone know how I can get my hands on some military surplus Napalm?

* any other approaches that I might entertain?

 

[ultrarunner]

The only way I've been able to keep it at bay is repeated spraying. I use Round-Up Pro, if I'm also spraying other things or I used Ortho Brush B' Gone just for the Poison Ivy/Oak.

I find saturating the foliage in the spring will knock it down considerably. I go back in 6 week intervals to spot spray the new growth. I generally takes about 18 months to completely kill it.

Good Luck in keeping the kids and pets away from it...

 

[RalphVa]

I had some on the 2 acres we owned in Baton Rouge. Brush B Gone worked great on it there. Haven't had to use it here in Va. Brush B Gone is a foam when released onto the leaves; so, it's relatively easy to mostly get it just on the poison ivy.

Ralph

 

[irwin]

Another vote for Brush B Gone. Had it bad on a earlier home lot. Mixed per instructions and sprayed/soaked the plant leaves, several times in a couple months one spring/summer. Went out looking next year. Wasn't near as much, sprayed what I could find. Nothing after that and I lived there 5 more years.

I'm getting ready to do the same on my new place, got about 5 out almost 7acres with plenty of poison ivy!!

 

[Donman]

Last week a tree guy told me his mother always "fed" poisen Ivy one soup can of 12-12-12 fertilizer which killed it in three weeks. Sounded kinda hoakey to me. Anybody hear of that before?

 

[WayneB]

Just want to bump on this thread.

I have posion ivy on a few of our stonewalls and have spent the last twenty some years pulling it and carting it off.

Pulling it does work, but it is not an easy task. I have already started doing it this past week Have special gloves and wear old clothing. I am not bothered too much by it so I am one of the lucky ones.

 

[Tom_H]

Gotta use high concentration Round-Up. Don't try any disking or plowing as that'll spread it. Don't burn it as the poision gets into the smoke and becomes far more dangerous when inhaled, even from a distance and diluted. There have been SEVERAL stories on this board of friends and neighbors who died after breathing this stuff, and of others who spent a year in the hospital and were never the same. When one burns poision oak, ivy, or sumack, he is creating something almost as dangerous as toxic nerve gas.

 

[Efreet]

Thanks for all of the advice! It seems like that I may have to give Brush B Gone a try. Does anyone know if this might damage or kill my trees if I spray it nearby?

I found a site that recommends frequent brushhogging for diminishing the poison ivy density. I do not think I want to do that, since the poison ivy oils would never wear off the mower / rotary cutter deck.

However, I was kinda hoping for some encouragement for clearing up the soil with the boxblade. Would the poison ivy really survive the ripping up of its roots by the tines, and the leveling of the soil surface?

 

[MarkV]

Thanks for all of the advice! It seems like that I may have to give Brush B Gone a try. Does anyone know if this might damage or kill my trees if I spray it nearby?

I found a site that recommends frequent brushhogging for diminishing the poison ivy density. I do not think I want to do that, since the poison ivy oils would never wear off the mower / rotary cutter deck.

However, I was kinda hoping for some encouragement for clearing up the soil with the boxblade. Would the poison ivy really survive the ripping up of its roots by the tines, and the leveling of the soil surface?

I am afraid that ripping it up with the box blade will just spread it more. Keep on spraying, that is your best bet.

MarkV

 

[RichNJKubota]

Mowing slows the vines down but it still will creep thru mowed areas.