Poison Ivy

[samtmc]

Hi all. I am looking into how to get rid of poison Ivy that is all over my property. I am highly allergic to it and get it 4-5 times a summer for several weeks at a time (most of the summer) So after doing research I have found that a couple of options. (but am always looking for more)
1) You can use Ivy killer but it is pretty toxic stuff and could endanger the trees (Which are stressed trying to fight off oak wilt in my area)I have been told it takes several years of doing this to get it to not come back and that the deap plat is still Poisonous.
2) Goats ,I guess they love the stuff and will eat the roots and all. I think I may run into problems with the county and township though.(as well as the coyotes running around the area)
3) Suit up and pull by hand (this would kill me i think)

4)This last one is the reason for the post. I just had a guy tell me to run some skid loaders thru the area then plant ferns (specifically ostrich ferns) he said they will spread very rapidly and once they grow into an area they will choke out poison Ivy.
Now i really like the last option but will it work?

Any thoughts/opinions?

 

[MMagis]

I highly doubt it.

 

[beenthere]

Well the coyotes shouldn't have a problem with the goats.

As to spraying the stuff, I've had marginal success ridding it with that method over the 40 years I've had these 22 acres. When I have to work in the woods, I make sure I wash within two hours of exposure (that works for me), am careful to wash the clothes I wear, and make it a habit to wash immediately after putting on my work boots and tying the laces. That procedure has worked well for me over many years now.

What appears to me over these 40 years, is that the 5 leaf ivy (Virginia Creeper) appears to crowd out the poison ivy patches I've known of but haven't sprayed. Don't know if that is something that can be planted or if it is any easier to do than fencing for goats.

Is Ivy killer you mention just a 2-4-D poison or something else? I find PI to be one of the toughest broadleaf weeds to kill.

When I was younger, PI didn't bother me and I worked in it all summers long. But at about 30, the resistance wore off.

Last year, I cut an ash tree with this heavy vine growing up into the top. Realized when I got into the top, that it was PI. Usually doesn't come in the vine form around here. Just as ground cover. So now I need to look up. I got a touch of it when cutting that ash tree up, and think it was from the chainsaw chips thrown down my shirt.

 

[MW66]

This has been my exact same experience. I used to play in the woods and fields all the time as a kid and never got poison ivy. About 6 years ago I chainsawed through a tree that must had a vine and the shavings hit me. That was my first experience. Now, I get it almost every year. Last summer I got it three times. You have to spray it when it is actively growing. I thought about chopping through the base of the vines in the winter, but i was too busy this year. Try the spray and hit as many of the green leaves as possible.

Well the coyotes shouldn't have a problem with the goats.

As to spraying the stuff, I've had marginal success ridding it with that method over the 40 years I've had these 22 acres. When I have to work in the woods, I make sure I wash within two hours of exposure (that works for me), am careful to wash the clothes I wear, and make it a habit to wash immediately after putting on my work boots and tying the laces. That procedure has worked well for me over many years now.

What appears to me over these 40 years, is that the 5 leaf ivy (Virginia Creeper) appears to crowd out the poison ivy patches I've known of but haven't sprayed. Don't know if that is something that can be planted or if it is any easier to do than fencing for goats.

Is Ivy killer you mention just a 2-4-D poison or something else? I find PI to be one of the toughest broadleaf weeds to kill.

When I was younger, PI didn't bother me and I worked in it all summers long. But at about 30, the resistance wore off.

Last year, I cut an ash tree with this heavy vine growing up into the top. Realized when I got into the top, that it was PI. Usually doesn't come in the vine form around here. Just as ground cover. So now I need to look up. I got a touch of it when cutting that ash tree up, and think it was from the chainsaw chips thrown down my shirt.

 

[Jim2]

Maybe somebody else knows. . . . Would a llama protect your goats from the coyotes? Folks on Craigslist are always claiming the llamas that they're selling will protect other herd animals--from what I don't really know.

Jim

 

[EddieWalker]

Everybody has the potential to be affected by poison ivey. The oil is what causes the reaction, and it can come from a branch that the ivey used to be on, but hasn't washed off of. It is potent year round, and just because you have never been affected doesn't mean you are immune from it forever. As you get older, you are more likely to be affected by it. Once it happens, you will always get it aftr that first time.

For me, it was right after highschool the first time that I got it. Before that, I could play in it and would actually pick it and chase friends around who would get it for fun.

The best thing to do to avoid it is to wash with soap and hot water as often as possible, as quickly as possible. You have to get the oil off of your skin. If you do this fast enough, you won't have a reaction.

If you get the oil on your clothes, then that oil on the clothing will cuase anybody who touches it to risk a reaction. Be careful with your laundry and get it in the washer right awy. The oil will not go away, and the longer your clothes sit out with the oil on them, the more likey it is that somebody will come into contact with the oil.

Only the oil causes the rash. Once the rash breaks out, it's too late to really do anything about it. You can control the itch with different products, but I've learned that everbody had one product that works best for them, and not really very well for anybody else. I really like the alchohal, clear gels, but Gold Bond and Benderdryl cream also work for me. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good.

A person who has the rash is not contagous. Nobody can catch poison ivey from anohter person. You can only get it from the oil, and only if it's still on the person who has the rash. If that person has taken a shower and washed, then the oil is gone and there's no way for anybody else to get it.

As for killing and getting rid of it, poison ivey does not like the sun. Taking out the trees opens it up to the sun, and in a very short amount of time, it will die and disapear. That is the only way that I know for sure to get rid of it.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[eepete]

I spray 1 part laundry bleach and 2 parts water on the leaves. The bleach interacts with the oil (which is a base, and is what gives you the blisters). With the oil gone, the leaves have no protection and die. Most other plants are not affected by it. The Sensitive Fern is the exception.

It may take a few years with a treatment per year. What you will see is new sprouts on the vine that come up each year. That's because unlike a "real" herbicide, you are just killing the leaves. But this does not nuke everything, so it's good for a mild infestation. If you've got ivy in a bush you want to keep, this is the way to get it. BTW, when I had heavy ivy I just used roundup mixed a little strong. I also cut the vines on the trees in the winter. I've cleaned up an area about 2 acres big this way, it started out with solid ivy up to my waist.

So give this a try and see if it works for you. Mix up a half gallon or so and give it a shot.

Pete

 

[beenthere]

Eddie
I agree with your well-stated explanation of PI.

...up until the last paragraph. The one place I cannot get rid of PI is in the sun. It grows on the edge of an alfalfa (or corn) field, and maybe gets just enough shade from those two plants to continue to survive and grow out into my lawn. Been dealing with it for 20 years. Just keeps coming back. Maybe I'll try pulling it up this year and see if that helps.

eepete
I will give that mix a try. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[2manyrocks]

Ortho brush killer will kill it-lightly wet the leaves. Don't soak the tree bark and everything in sight. Whatever active ingredient there is in brush killer will also kill poison ivy pretty effectively, but I forget what it is.

But I'd try eepete's formula first.

We have poison ivy growing in the grass in the field and other places exposed to the sun. We used to not have so much of it, but it has really spread.

 

[ray66v]

Only the oil causes the rash. Once the rash breaks out, it's too late to really do anything about it.

It's never too late.

I was among the lucky ones as a child, never had a sunburn, never had PI rash.

As I got older I started to react to PI.

Now I am very allergic. I have had to take the steroids, in the past, to help control it.

Now, 24 hrs after expose, when the first itchy spots appear, I scrub the affected areas vigorously, and until they are red, with a white Scotch Brite pad, and mechanics hand cleaner.

The oil bonds to the skin. Removing the top layer of skin, with the Scotch Brite pad, removes the oil, and stops the rash at whatever point it is discovered. The itching will start to subside, almost immediately, after the oil is gone.

I still will have a few, much less itchy bumps, for a few days, but it is quite tolerable, and does not spread.

 

[Stimw]

A precaution warning with Poison Ivy for all who don't know-
NEVER burn it! The oil will turn into a vapor and you can breath it into your lungs. That could even be fatal!

 

[Snowman9000]

I've had good results with Roundup, but only if there is some sun exposure. In deep shade the Roundup does nothing to the PI. I don't think there is one magic bullet.

Zanfel is great stuff for knocking down the rash. Expensive, but it works.

I myself tend to now get systemic reactions that cause rashes where I sweat, especially under my socks and underwear. How fun. I usually get them from accidentally mowing it with the brush mower, then breathing the airborne particles. So far it has not become more serious than the rashes. BTW Zanfel will not work on those rashes because they did not occur from the actual oil.

 

[Pilot]

Here is what Perdue University's horticulture dept. says:

Several herbicides can be used to eradicate poison ivy.
Amino triazole sold under the name Amitrol, is highly
effective and safe to use. Available as a liquid or wettable
powder, it should be applied during periods of rapid
plant growth to insure maximum kill. Thorough vegetative
coverage is essential and repeated applications may
be needed. The herbicide glyphosate (Roundup,
Kleenup) is also effective in eradicating the pest. A
combination of dicamba (Banvel) and 2,4-D can be used
to advantage where herbicide drift is not a factor. However,
2,4-D should not be applied in locations where
other sensitive species grow in close proximity to poison
ivy. Read and understand instructions on the herbicide
label before making applications.

One thing to note. Herbicides that are translocated such as 2,4-D must be used at the strength on the instructions. If you increase the strength, then you will kill the leaves before the poison can be translocated to the roots. This is a common problem with some herbicides leading people to think that the chemical didn't work.

Since poison ivy has oily leaves, be sure to use a spreader-sticker agent. This will help it penetrate the oily surface to be absorbed by the leaves.

Used to be that many herbicides were dissolved in diesel, rather than water. Worked really well when I did that. Probably not legal anymore. Don't know if it will work with glyphosate.

 

[Toyboy]

Good point on burning. Friend of mine was burning brush in the dead of winter not knowing poison ivy was on some of it. His wife inhaled some of the smoke and got it in her lungs. She turned out OK but it was a scary situation for a while.

 

[mbosma]

I've heard of good results mixing brush killer with diesel. Never tried it though.

I get PI bad. Cleared 1/2 acre of woods for a pole barn and the stuff was growing up the trees in 3" vines 30' in the air. Like a canopy of PI under the tree canopy.

Anyway, the only thing that stops the itch for me is putting the infected area under hot running water. As hot as I can stand it, for as long as possible. I just keep making the water hotter and hotter, until it stops itching. It will itch like **** when you start, but if the water is hot enough it will eventually stop. It cures it for a good 4-8 hours, depending on how bad the reaction is.

 

[jpdriver1]

we live in area that is mostly populated by "hippy wanna bees" - but sometimes they do have good ideas -- suggest trying a natural solution to the infestation --

Poison Ivy Vegetation Killer
1 cup salt
8 drops liquid detergent
1 gallon vinegar

Combine the salt and vinegar in a pan and heat to dissolve the
salt. Cool the vinegar, add the detergent, and pour some of the
liquid into a large spray bottle. Spray the vegetation. (You can
also just pour the mixture onto the weeds.) Refill the spray
bottle as necessary. Note that this formula will kill all the
vegetation, so make sure that you are only spraying the plants
you want to kill. If you need to use a lot of this spray, avoid
spraying it near wells, as the salt can leach into your water
supply.

now this requires the high acid vinegar -- between 10 percent and 20 percent --
the dish soap helps keep the solution on the leaves so it can be absorbed

try in a test area and then proceed

 

[greasemonkeyok]

If you have been exposed to PI, wash the affected area (on your body, not on your land) asap with an enzyme laundry detergent such as Tide instead of soap. That will remove the oil and greatly reduce the likelihood of developing a rash. You may have dry skin for a while afterward, but compared to the alternative . . . .

 

[eepete]

And here's the alternative...

Pete

 

[kenmac]

I use to have it all over my property.It took Several years of spraying heavy doses of Glyphosate to get rid of it

 

[psj12]

I tried the brush killer and ended up killing two old large oak trees. Still have the PI!