Poison Ivy -- HELP!!!

[MadDogDriver]

Ahhh ... another use for WD-40

 

[diyDave]

Fishpick- I think the chemical that you found at CT was sylvex(sp?). it was the non military version of agent orange, actually a very effective defoliant, the reason it was banned was the agent orange flap (Agent orange, military use, was made by the lowest bidder, and often contaminated with dioxcin ) as far as I know there was never a report of sylvex being contaminated. If you get a really big vine of poison ivy, about 5 or 6 inches diameter, here's a good use for it- cut a section about a foot long, split it down the middle, and carve a spoon out of it. Give this spoon to your mother-in-law for no special reason!

 

[MadDogDriver]

That's not nice at all, even if you were kidding.

 

[hazmat]

OK - here are some pix of my ivy problem. Do the goats get hazard pay for working close to a state highway?

Overall - there are quite a few small stumps buried under the taller grass - you can also see the drop off.

Up close 1

Up close 2

 

[MadDogDriver]

Hazmat,

Google "triclopyr". That's the active ingredient that eventually kills the poison ivy/oak/sumac group. It comes in a salt form known as "triethylamine", which is the active ingredient in Ortho's Brush-B-Gon. Many public highway departments use this for controlling roadside brush under the commercial names Access, Crossbow, ET, Garlon, Grazon, PathFinder, Redeem, Rely, Remedy, and Turflon. I'm not sure if any of those herbicides are available to the public, but the key ingredient is either triclopyr, triethylamine salt, or butoxyethyl ester. Apply it according to it's directions directly to the leaves.

Good luck, you'll get em eventually, and remember the plant's oil, urushiol, will remain active for several years after the plant has died and will still getcha. (Gets me at least, BADDDD)

 

[fishpick]

diyDave - I've seen those spoons! but I'm like MadDogDriver... me + this topic = itchy just sitting near the photos posted...

Stay upwind and napalm the stuff!

 

[MikeB44]

With respect MikeB44 - this is a very Tennessee post!

Well we do have a couple of TN fainting goats at the house.

How effective are the goats? There is a guy with goats in a pasture about 4 houses up from me, and the pasture seems mighty overgrown, all though admittedly I have no idea how many goats are there, or how big the pasture is.

I have to think the goats are cheap (I am thinking $50 each?) or maybe I am crazy, but if I could buy a roll of field fence, and a pair of goats, and work through some of the underbrush on my place, I would be all for that.

However, if they got out and decided to eat the wires on the backhoe, or something else expenisve, it would be time for goat stew.

Anyone with first hand experience?

Goats eat brush first and grass second, so they may still be working the leaves, or the pasture area may be big for their number. Cost varies on the goats - our wethers (gelded males) were ~$150 - now they look to be around $300.

TN fainters will not walk up (down) a fence like other goats, so should work with field fencing (especially with electric). As 1bush2hog stated they need fresh water, shelter, vet care, protection from predators, etc. Goats are susceptible to parasites, especially worms, & do need maintenance for that (I guess that's why they have learned to browse leaves - to keep away from potentially worm contaminated ground grass.) Ours have done well with temporary electric fence for a year now.

Do the goats get hazard pay for working close to a state highway?

Double (2 times the leaves they can eat!)

 

[Justaplain]

Amine-2-4D.[Tractor supply or Agri Supply]] 1 Tbs Palmolive. Spray often.. Works downstream of you. bcs

 

[tuolumne]

If you have the fence for them, I hear goats work real well. They supposedly love the stuff....

Don't forget the fencing rule of thumb for goats...if it won't hold water it won't hold a goat!

 

[bucmeister]

MadDogDriver, I have used Grazon, however you have to have an applicators license/permit here in Mississippi to get it and I had let mine expire so the Co-op recommended BRASH as a suitable alternative that is not restricted. It has 2-4D plus a dicambra mix, kicks poison ivy big time as well as our other "green weed" curse, kudzu, works like a charm on locust saplings also. The other benefit is that a 2 gallon jug is about $60 and 2-3 oz per gallon it does a great job. Mix in roundup for a full spectrum effect.

 

[MadDogDriver]

Yeah, it's amazing how much the general public gets soaked for a lot of diluted chemical applications. The bulk generic versions that farmer Co-ops and other commercial ventures can get are much cheaper and generally way more effective.

Just gotta read the labels and know what to look for. "Knowledge is Power"

 

[swines]

Crossbow is one that is recommended and works. It's triclopyr + 2,4-D Ester. The two chemicals together are synergistic and work better than either alone.

If you add a little Quicksilver and a non-ionic surfactant it will work faster. The best time to hit the poison ivy is when it is flowering as the plant is most active and will carry the poison to the roots faster.

But, you will probably have to spray the next year with something like Trimec Broadleaf to control re-growth when whatever is left sprouts the next spring. Trimec + Quicksilver + surfactant is really good. The Quicksilver seems to be synergistic with the Trimec and makes it work much faster.

Very difficult to control with only a single application of any type of chemical. You just have to be more persistent than the plant & keep after it. At some point, it will all be dead.

The point about the birds spreading the seeds is true. You'll have to either use a pre-emergent over the area early spring, or spot kill the new plants.

You can get Crossbow from several suppliers through Ebay. Quicksilver and Trimec are available from a number of outlets. If you have a Lesco outlet near you, they should also have the same or equal chemicals.

 

[MadDogDriver]

Good comments swines.

The combinations that do work together really enhance getting rid of this pest. The ability to have it stick to the leaf and since your spraying kill only what you want dead as well really saves time and money. And like you said, this will take multiple applications and probably at least two seasons to eradicate most of it.

 

[MadDogDriver]

I received a PM that asked the following question and we decided it should be shared with all, in case others had the same question:

Hey MadDogDriver...
I didn't think Washington State had much of a problem with poison ivy/oak/sumac. So far I have not run into any around Olympia. Any info on poison ivy/oak/sumac specific to WA is greatly appreciated.

Relatively speaking, you're correct that we enjoy less density of poison ivy than other parts of the US. Generally, poison ivy grows east of the Rocky Mountains, poison oak west of the Rocky Mountains, and poison sumac in the southeastern United States. Poison Oak has two species, one of which grows along the Pacific coast from WA down to Mexico. There are two closely related species of poison Ivy, and grows almost everywhere in the United States except Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and parts of California, but rarely at altitudes above 4,000 ft. It often grows along rivers, lake fronts, and ocean beaches, but not in the rainforests of WA or OR. Like I said earlier, poison sumac grows mainly east of the Mississippi River.

I grew up on the farm in IL and have had many unpleasant experiences with Ivy & Oak. If you know where you commonly encounter that stuff while dozing, then I recommend wearing a mask of some sort. The allergenic oil (urushiol) can be carried in the dust just as it does in smoke during burning. Inhaling the urushiol will at the very least cause lung irritation and some have had such serious reactions internally that it's been fatal to them.

Interestingly, only humans have allergic reactions to urushiol, some much more than others. The oil is what gets us. Our animal's fur, our clothes, tools, etc. is where we keep recontacting with the oil even though we're far from the plants. That's why it's so important to throughly wash everything in hot sudsy water to remove the oil. Unfortunately, once the urushiol gets in contact with our skin it bonds with the skin and we're along for the ride. Treating the itch is all we can do at that point.

Hope this helps. Good luck and get that mask. (and long sleeve shirt etc.) UGH....I hate this stuff.

I would add this also --- don't hesitate to see your doctor for treatment if you're one of the unfortunate ones who are extremely sensitive to urushiol.

 

[Danno1]

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To add to Swines comment about the plant being more active while flowering, I was told by a plant lady years ago that there is a second almost as active period in the fall when the plant is trying to get ready for the winter.

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