poison ivy

Matt_Jr · Dec 12, 2009

I HATE that stuff. But I found a little white pill that seems to help. It's called poison ivy extract. Look for it at your local pharmacy. After taking them for a few weeks, you'll build up your immune system to the stuff. But it's not permanant, so you'll have to keep taking them during the season. Oh, they make for a faster recovery too.

eepete · Dec 12, 2009

The oil in poison ivy (and oak and sumac) is a base (i.e. the opposite of an acid). So there is an allergic component for some that can change with age, time, and exposure history. There is also a base burn factor which depends on how much you got on you and how thick your skin is (or skin type). This is also why it takes some time to see the blisters from an exposure. Bottom line is don't assume that if you don't get it now, it will be like that forever or for all exposures. That's also why the smoke from burning ivy is very dangerous. The lungs are very vulnerable to the base burn.

Hasn't been mentioned here yet, but, to get rid of the stuff there are two things I use. Roundup (or equivalent) works but I use the concentrate so I can beef it up. But Roundup is a nuclear option and kills everything. I've also had success with 1 part household/laundry bleach 2 parts water. It kills the ivy but leaves everything else. The bleach reacts with the oil and the leaves loose their protection and die. Got this from my BIL who is a chemist and looked up the formula for the base in the oil and said give it a try. Bleach does not kill down into the buried vine like Roundup, so you'll be doing the application for a few seasons until you starve out the root. But you don't always have the luxury of laying the landscape to waste just to get rid of some ivy.

Oil in the vine last a long time. I know a guy who cut a vine 8 months after he cut the tree it was on down. He was cutting up the tree for fire wood. Where the wood shavings from the chain saw hit his forearm, he got a bad area full of blisters. Keep this in mind when burning brush piles even those that have been sitting for a long time.

Finally, this is a time when everyone should be glad that there are _not_ pictures.

Pete

Redneck in training · Dec 12, 2009

Yes, poison ivy is dangerous. I almost killed my mother several years ago.
She came to our place for a visit. I was burning some leaves and grass apparently contaminated by PI. She inhaled some of the smoke and became very sick. Our son is allergic to PI to such a degree that he will end up in hospital when exposed.

dave1949 · Dec 13, 2009

eepete said:
Hasn't been mentioned here yet, but, to get rid of the stuff there are two things I use. Roundup (or equivalent) works but I use the concentrate so I can beef it up. But Roundup is a nuclear option and kills everything. I've also had success with 1 part household/laundry bleach 2 parts water. It kills the ivy but leaves everything else. The bleach reacts with the oil and the leaves loose their protection and die. Got this from my BIL who is a chemist and looked up the formula for the base in the oil and said give it a try. Bleach does not kill down into the buried vine like Roundup, so you'll be doing the application for a few seasons until you starve out the root. But you don't always have the luxury of laying the landscape to waste just to get rid of some ivy.

Pete

That's good info. Thanks. I haven't found any around here - yet. Birds eat the berries on poison ivy, so it could show up just about anywhere I suppose.
Dave.