How to identify all this green stuff

Tom_Trees · Aug 5, 2001

Boy, I *hope* it's not Kudzu -- I didn't think that stuff had made it up to Northern Indiana (yet).

I don't have a suitable camera yet, so no picture. The vine I'm fighting has a stem with five leaves on it about every five feet on the ground, more frequently when climbing. The leaves are a sawtooth edge, long oval in shape, all at the same level on the stem. They cover roughly a 270 degree arc, with the two leaves flanking the large gap being smaller than the other three. Kinda looks like your hand from above, if you could spread your fingers a lot further.

I don't have any vine on the ground much larger than a quarter inch in diameter, but the bloody stuff covers an incredible amount of ground. I can reach down and grab, and usually come up with two or three vines in one hand - and end up coiling about twenty feet of vine each time.

Nasty stuff.

Tom K

Tom_Trees · Aug 5, 2001

Thanks RCH -- I'll try a couple of these and see where they lead me.

Tom K

ERNIEB · Aug 5, 2001

Tom, If you really want to get into it. Check with the nearest ag college. Check the courses on intro to Botany. The course should have two text books. One is going to be something like
"Taxonomy of flowering plants" the other will be what is called a key. The first will teach you basic botany terms. With this information, and a stem of leaves or a flower, you can use the key to identify almost any plant. Keys are usually specific to certain areas. Some things, such as grasses, can be difficult because the flower is not showy, but it can be done.
I know it sounds like a lot of trouble to go thru, but it can be fun, and its not as difficult as it may seem.

Ernie

gordon · Aug 5, 2001

Here are a couple more sites to add to the ones that RCH posted. Thanks RCH I didn't have one of your links!

http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/default.asp
http://www.hortpix.com/pc3125.htm
http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/plants.html
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/

That should keep you busy for a while /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Gordon

PBMAX · Aug 6, 2001

Tom, How do...I doubt it would be Kudzu if your up country a ways.Its easy to spot though.Large (hand size or more)soft leaves and you can watch it grow (7in or more in a day).Smells wonderfull when in bloom.It has light purple flowers and smells Well like the you would think th e color purple smells.It should be in around here in Bama this month.AS for Pioson IVy some thing no one has said...It can still bite you even when it's dead for many yrs after wards...Learn this one or it will get you DEAD or ALIVE/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif?It's so nasty it will rub off on you cloths(gloves are a good one) and bite you a week later if you didn't wash them.Also the dog or cat can get on their fur and rub it off on you (usually right after thay have wollowed in it...)I'm one of the lucky few that it dosn't bother to bad...Poison Ivy hardly even makes me itch if at all.Poison Oak will get me ocasionally if I get between my fingers or around the ankles.But a LIL benadrill cream/calamine lotion and ignore it...

AS for the other vines if its not the VCreeper it may be a type of Enlgish Ivy.I noticed the nursery had at least half dozen types for sell...And it ain't a creeper...Here most folks I know have english ivy.If you pull it up or pull it off trees I would suggest you either pile it up and burn it or put in bags and haul it off/leave it for the trash pick up.Thats what every one I no does and fore good reason.If you just pile it up and any piece of its root is touching it will take off growing a gain.Good luck and have fun...

Laziness is the Father of invention.../w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
Lil' Paul
Proud owner of TC21D

s1120 · Aug 6, 2001

Tom,

Just to clarify your burning statement.....Never burn poison ivy! It can be deadly to anyone in the area or down wind.

Michele

Michele

Hillbilly · Aug 6, 2001

You would be alright doing it,if you were out and away from people.

Richard · Aug 6, 2001

On the roadsides on the way to house are some large trees with poisen ivy vines as thick as your forearm. I have often wondered if/how to kill these.

1. Would simply spraying them kill them?
2. Would a dance with "Mr. Stihl" at their base change their opinion of their neighbors?
3. Cut at base THEN spray the stump?

Any proven ideas?? (will also take unproven ideas)

Richard

s1120 · Aug 6, 2001

Richard,

The way to kill the vines is to cut out a couple of inch section and apply Roundup to both cut ends. It worked like a charm on ours and killed every one! Just remember, even the dead pieces can still make you itch so be careful when you pull the dead vines off the trees.

Hillbilly - I still have to disagree. Poison Ivy should never ever be burned. People have died from doing this.....

Michele

Bird · Aug 6, 2001

Michele, if it should never ever be burned, what do you do with it after you kill it? And if you're clearing out brush, limbs, etc. with poison ivy on it, how do you get it all off before burning the brush?/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird