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Don't burn poison ivy, it can be deadly for someone breathing it in. I'm terribly allergic to the stuff, and get it when weeding even before it has turned green. I battle it every year, it does spread. There are enough plants/berries etc. in my gardens for wildlife without keeping poison ivy. There are some great tips in the link below, although Roundup does not work for me.
Congrats on the new house! Don't burn; do dig Poison Ivy. All ivies ae considered invasive plants because they climb and spread. AFAIK removing roots is the only known 100% effective cure.
LOL Linicx is the sweetest moderator ever! I guess a lot of us may simply have to agree to disagree.
BTW Foxy, the discussion of allergies brings up an important point. I am also a chick living somewhat in the middle of nowhere. In addition to a little extra personal safety stuff, it may be a good idea to stock up on first aid supplies.
I have an epi-pen in case I get an allergic reaction to something. I'm not allergic to wasps or PI or anything, but you never know. In an emergency I'll need to be alive long enough to call for help. If you don't already know, it may be good to learn how to clean an animal bite, tie a tourniquet etc. Since I do a lot of outside stuff in the woods etc, I use a lot of iodine, rubbing alcohol and bandages...so I definitely suggest a lot of those.
Bought a property in October, been left to go wild and of course that means plenty of poisen Ivy...
Im not too woreid about the stuff grwoing through my brush because the goats will eventually eat through all that...but ive got some growing in an area i want to start clearing out, as well as growing up a big old oak. so how can i kill it in the area i want to work in and up the old oak tree wthout killing the oak tree (i dont mind saturating the ground with a product because theres only privet groing there right now anyway and theats all got to come out too! and theres going to be a chicken coop wiht a solid floor built over the spot so no plans to grow anything right there for a good 10-15yrs to come lol.
Would roundup ust sprayed on everything in the area work or would that damage the oak tree too!?
I don't think roundup will hurt your trees, in fact I am sure it won't but I don't know if it will do much for the poisin ivy either.
Thanks for telling us this, I would not think poisin ivy had any benefits to man or beast. As for killing it, like so many other things we have to weigh the advantages against the disadvantages. My husband is so alergic to it we either have to kill it or her can not go near the stuff. On the other hand, it doesn't bother me. I can pick berries in the middle of it and not have a problem. It is like the chigger problem. We have chiggers in our rocks, not our grass. If Pat even walks on the rocks in late spring and summer he gets covered with bites. We have tried about everything we have ever heard of. This is why we had to get rid of our grill. He clouldn't go out near the back of the lot.
I would personally leave it alone. Poison ivy is a native plant with benefits for the wildlife and ecosystem. As long as you can identify and avoid it, I'd recommend living with it as an alternative to spraying a bunch of chemicals.
There's plenty of poison ivy around; the wildlife will never miss a patch or two in my yard.
The thing about poison ivy is it spreads; it is a fast-growing vine that will take over your yard if you let it. You can't let it, otherwise you'll never get rid of it.
I don't have the patience for chemicals; I cover myself from head to toe and yank the stuff out, stuff it into a bag, run into the basement and strip my clothes off directly into the washing machine, and then go directly upstairs and scrub in the shower until the hot water runs out.
Speaking of PO, I got my first bout of poison ivy last week...I get a relatively mild reaction, though.
Your next reaction might not be so mild.
In my ignorance, not even knowing what poison ivy looked like at the time, I pulled a bunch of it out of some shrubbery one year.
I got one very itchy blister.
The next year, still ignorant, I did it again, wearing shorts, a short sleeved shirt, and sneakers.
I had the itchy rash over every square inch of exposed skin, including my face and scalp. One visit to the dermatologist, some antihistamines, some topical stuff, and some oral prednisone helped. I still had to go to work looking like something dragged out of a grave.
Removing it from your outdoor living space would be a good idea.
I had never had problems with being reactive to poison ivy or to any of the sister related plants until recent years. A friend told me about the poison ivy elixir called Rhus Tox Oral Solution made in a local compound pharmacy. This elixir is taken in February before the new season of spring greenery started sprouting. I found that they sell this on-line for more than I paid at the compound pharmacy.
The package included three 3mL vials of the "Rhus Tox Oral Solution." The informational page explained that this is prepared from the resin of the plant Rhus Toxicodendron that is the base substance of poison ivy and poison sumac. The preparation of the "Rhus Tox" has been reportedly used for many years in reducing the occurrence and symptoms of poison ivy-oak and sumac. This solution has been developed from a German formulation, which has been successful in reducing the occurrence of poison ivy cases.
The course of treatment with this elixir is taking three doses over a three-week period during the dormant (winter) phase of the plant cycle. You take the doses on the same day of each of the three weeks. If you were to take the oral solution during the plants active phase (summer), there is an increased risk of infection for a highly sensitive person. You take your dose in between meals, you hold the solution in your mouth for 30 seconds and then swallow the solution. I really hope this helps. I've heard from others around me that this has been their saving grace. You are supposed to get more immune the more years you take it.
As far as the Ortho Poison Ivy & Brush Killer being sprayed on poison ivy, I found that I needed to not dilute it as much as it recommended and it took up to 2 weeks to start showing it was killing it off. Even when the plant is dead, the chemicals are still active so beware when removing them. I have gotten to the point that despite wearing long sleeves and jeans, the urushiol chemical will sit on top of your clothing and eventual seep through. Or when you pet your dogs (like I have before) or they make contact with you, they just transferred the chemical to you. If you do get the urushiol chemical on you wash it off with cold (not warm or hot) water immediately...if I remember correctly, you have like a 30 minute window...I think I read that some where.
I had never had problems with being reactive to poison ivy or to any of the sister related plants until recent years. A friend told me about the poison ivy elixir called Rhus Tox Oral Solution made in a local compound pharmacy. This elixir is taken in February before the new season of spring greenery started sprouting. I found that they sell this on-line for more than I paid at the compound pharmacy.
The package included three 3mL vials of the "Rhus Tox Oral Solution." The informational page explained that this is prepared from the resin of the plant Rhus Toxicodendron that is the base substance of poison ivy and poison sumac. The preparation of the "Rhus Tox" has been reportedly used for many years in reducing the occurrence and symptoms of poison ivy-oak and sumac. This solution has been developed from a German formulation, which has been successful in reducing the occurrence of poison ivy cases.
The course of treatment with this elixir is taking three doses over a three-week period during the dormant (winter) phase of the plant cycle. You take the doses on the same day of each of the three weeks. If you were to take the oral solution during the plants active phase (summer), there is an increased risk of infection for a highly sensitive person. You take your dose in between meals, you hold the solution in your mouth for 30 seconds and then swallow the solution. I really hope this helps. I've heard from others around me that this has been their saving grace. You are supposed to get more immune the more years you take it.
"A full search of the FDA Web sites and publications in the Federal Register reveals that there is no acceptable evidence to demonstrate either safety or efficacy in administration of oral urushiols to prevent poison ivy dermatitis. Pharmacists who compound and/or sell this unproven therapy do their patients a great disservice. Patients who undergo the regimen may hike among poison ivy plants and discover firsthand that the product is inefficacious. Even more alarming, there are reports of patients ingesting rhus who developed systemic contact dermatitis, with symptoms such as maculopapular eruption, erythema multiforme, erythroderma, pustules, purpura, weals, and blisters. One such patient had ingested a homeopathic preparation and also applied an alcoholic extract topically."
There is a product, IvyBlock, that can help prevent symptoms from contact with the oil. It is applied to the skin at least 15 minutes before exposure. It is fairly expensive, but if you cover up well you should only need to use it on face and hands.
I know first hand it has worked for some highly contagious people. I'm sure the issue is that there has not been a study with enough people (control/experimental grps) to determine the effectiveness. I can only tell you what I know and how it's helps those around me. But, for less than $20, I'm willing to try this year for myself. We'll see.
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