Leaves of three, let it be?

[MossRoad]

Virginia creeper has 5 leaves.

 

[groundcover]

Leaves of three let it be, leaves of four, eat some more- Homer Simpson

 

[mfreund]

Brush be gone by Ortho will kill it dead. I was on the steroid pack during a bout of poison ivy. I cut the about 1 inch thick vine off and sprayed the stump and have not had it since.

 

[Redneck in training]

I have never had poison ivy burns but our son just touches one and ends up in a hospital. Burning it is also very dangerous. While burning leaves and other random biomaterial my mother apparently inhaled smoke from poison ivy and was very sick for several days.

 

[tnjind]

Ours around here (Indiana) looks just like Steves. I can spot that crap from 20 yards. I got a couple of goats a few years back, they LOVE it, and flowers, Christmas lights, chainsaw, tractor seat, gloves....

 

[tnjind]

I also get that stuff in the wintertime cutting firewood if the tree has vines on it.

 

[smstonypoint]

Should we panic?

A much-cited study published in 2006 found that a rise in carbon dioxide both fueled the growth of the weed and increased the potency of urushiol, the oil at the root of the rash. Poison oak and poison sumac also contain urushiol, and all three can cause the blistering rash. Airborne sap-coated soot can also get into the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory system, according to the National Park Service.

That study involved planting PVC pipes into six plots of North Carolina's 7,000-acre Duke Forest. Carbon dioxide was blown through holes in the pipes, which stretched to the tops of the tree canopies, while another control group of pipes vented normal air. Of all the plants, poison ivy was the hands-down winner, said Jacqueline Mohan, assistant professor at the University of Georgia and the study's lead author.

It was the most responsive species to the higher carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, Mohan said. The average little tree that I measured grew 8 percent faster. And poison ivy grew 149 percent faster than it would have under ambient, normal carbon dioxide conditions.

The logic lies in photosynthesis, she says. Whereas trees waste carbohydrates on building support structures trunks, bark and branches vines bypass this by using fences and other existing structures as their support. They also contain more leafy surface area, allowing them to draw in more CO2 and make more plant food, which they use to make more leaves, further driving photosynthesis and continuing the cycle. (Anything that's brown is not photosynthesizing, Mohan says.)

Is Poison Ivy Getting Nastier? | The Rundown | PBS NewsHour

 

[MossRoad]

Should we panic?

ZOMBIE POISON IVY!!!!! AAAAAAAA!!!!!

:confused3:

 

[dave1949]

Should we panic?

Not until Monsanto genetically splices kudzu genes into poison ivy.

 

[OZisKTB]

I live in deep, hardwood forest in VA. Poison Ivy is everywhere. Some vines are 8" across, and represent the total understory of some trees. I can't find it all, though basal spraying kills the obvious vines. We think prevention is the best way to manage living with it. It's been hard for this FL boy to switch from shorts to jeans, and wear long sleeves when working in the yard. We have Tecnu in every shower and use it when washing the dog, a big carrier of urushiol. After hard day of working we use Tecnu in the washing machine. Key to Tecnu is using COLD water when using it. This keeps the urushiol bound, and lets it wash off. Hot allows the urushiol to spread. Plenty of other things break down urushiol, but work on skin when you know you are exposed. Unlike bleach or acids, Tecnu is safe on clothing, and good for just in case treatment. Most frustrating thing is when we get urushiol in our washed clothing. Weeks after being exposed, random blisters show and we have to track down what to rewash. We have prescriptions for Fluocinonide for when we don't get it all. No OTC treatment works as well once you start to blister.