>>>I am renewing my campaign against the poison ivy on our property -- after a two year hiatus; I am very allergic!

Best of luck to ya. I'm several years past my own big campaign, all I've seen in the last 2 years are minor outbreaks of fresh stuff, as thankfully all the big hairy vines are long dead.

>>What is the best way to go about killing ....

Clip or saw the vines right at about ground level. Spray RU or BBG directly onto the fresh stumps. If you buy concentrate, you can mix it a bit stronger than usual, but I've also had good luck with the regular pre-mix.

>>>...and disposing of the big, hairy mother vines that are growing up the trunks of trees?

For the first year, those hairy vines will not come off without a good fight. But in subsequent years you will find that they will shake themselves loose as those hairy fibers (roots?) start to decay. I'd say your best bet is to get a pair of "throw-away" work gloves and then of course, trash those gloves once the chore is done.

If you want to remove the hairy "trunk vine", the best way would be to continually clip it every 12-18" or so, and break it off the host tree in small segments. Don't bother trying to extract the upper vines out of the trees, as they will most likely rip the branches on the way down. As far as disposing, I like to pile it high on top of a brush pile instead of the ground, so that it completely dries out with zero chance of it rerooting. I wouldn't recommend composting it. You could always bag it for the garbage man, but I prefer to handle it as little as possible and flinging it onto a brush pile is as close as I wanna come to it.

>>>I was planning on spraying Round-up on the vines I find on the ground.

anytime in its active growth is a good time. Although, I find its most sensitive in both the early part of the season, when the leaves are young and purple/red, as well as the end of the season, just as they start to fade to yellow. When you hit them with the spray during these 2 phases, you will most likely kill it in one pass. During other times you will find that most often there'll be a bit of resprout...

good luck with the project.

Thank you so much. I so appreciate your advice!

I've printed out your post and will follow it to the letter.

Regards,

deb

Deb - one other thing...this may be obvious, but if not, I'd hate for you to find out the hard way:

The oils that make you itch are emitted from all parts of the plant. Not just the leaves. Anything that touches ANY part of the PI plant (even when its fully dormant) will have the oils on it, and those oils will migrate to whatever they touch. So even if you're using gloves, and then you pick up your clippers with those gloves, your clipper handles will now be a potential source of itchiness.

So when yer all done, trash the gloves and hose off them clippers really good.

Its also a good idea to change your clothes right after your done. During the project, you will surely end up brushing against some of the plant and thus your clothes will have those oils.

...just a few tips I wished someone had told me 5 years ago. woulda saved me lots of scratchin'

Before you go near Poison Ivy (PI), go to your drugstore and buy three products...one is a product called Ivy Guard or Ivy Shield...each brand is a cream which will shield treated exposed skin from getting a rash. Two, I recommend that you get Technu which is a waterless cleaner which can be used as soon as you know you've touched some part of Poison Ivy, it's good to use it if you suspect you didn't get all of your skin protected or if you're sweating. Reapply Ivy Shield after using Technu if you're still working and be careful to not touch anything which has touched PI like your gloves! You or someone around you will get a PI infection at some time, so while you're at the drug store, the third product you need to get is Calagel which can be used on a PI rash to quell pain and itching. Urishol is the oil in Poison Ivy which causes the irritation and it's very potent and stubborn which means it stays active even in dead parts of the plant, so don't take chances. When you're ready to take on your project to remove Poison Ivy, you will need to spread Ivy Guard or Ivy Shield cream on your hands, face, neck, wrists, arms, etc.....use it liberally. Then, put on a long sleeved shirt which has a sturdy fabric and button it to the top and button the cuffs. Put on jeans or heavy pants which can be washed in HOT water or you might consider trashing those clothes when you're finished! Wear well oiled boots which can be cleaned later, or long socks with shoes which can be washed with hot water and strong soap, or wear heavy plastic bags over your footwear. Wear a hat with a brim so vines, etc. won't drop to touch your face. Use a fresh pair of sturdy gloves which aren't likely to tear....some use two pair of cotton gloves. THEN, once you're properly creamed and covered and suited up, go out to start working on your Poison Ivy vines. Remember that EVERY PART of the plant, dead or alive, contains Urishol oil so you can get infected by a single leaf or a tiny bit of a vine or even a piece of the root...literally ANY and ALL parts of the vine can cause a rash year round, whether it's dead or alive. Once you finish working near the vine, place all parts of it in strong plastic bags and close them carefully so they won't open and infect anyone who handles the bags. Try to avoid any PI contact on the outside of the bags and do not touch the bags without wearing gloves. Do NOT stack the vines, branches, etc. unless you must, because they can fall or be blown around and some unsuspecting soul will get an infection by touching them. Also, be certain to NEVER burn the vines because the oil will activate and go airborn which means the infection will spread and it can even get into your eyes which could blind you! If you suspect that you've touched any part of your skin to any part of a PI plant, use Technu right away to clean the skin as best you can. Get to hot water and strong soap as quickly as you can and wash well and then reapply Ivy Guard if you are not finished. Until you are ready to disrobe, don't sit on a chair or car seat or anything which is absorbent or has fabric on it or you might get a secondary infection later! Yes...it's THAT bad...experience is a great teacher!! :-( Remember that if you are sweating, the cream is diluting or washing off so be careful! When you're finished working and are ready to clean up, peel your clothing off by turning it inside out as you remove it so that the infected part will be on the inside and you can safely place the items in your washer....or remember, you could throw them away! Don't put anything but your exposed clothing in the washer. Set the water temp at HOT and use a good strong detergent like Tide and wash everything really well. If your water is not hot, the soap may not be able to remove all of the oil, so hotter is better to break it down, and use a little more soap than you normally would. Your rinse cycle should remove all soap and residual oil, but you might want to run two wash cycles depending on how much contact your clothing had with the various parts of the plant. You need to shower your entire body from head to toe with very warm water and strong soap...lather and rinse several times to make certain that no oil can possibly remain and wash your hair carefully too. Once you leave the tub or shower stall, clean and rinse it carefully to be certain that no urishol oil can remain. Once you've gotten your body clean, you should use lotion or moisturizer to rehydrate your skin. IF a rash does appear, clean it well with Tecnu or warm water and soap, and apply Calagel which will remove the itch and pain from your rash. Don't scratch it or it will spread! Calagel is a relatively new product which blends the best aspects of Benedryl Gel and Calamine lotion which are two popular older remedies. It's clear and cool to the touch like Benedryl gel and soothing to the rash like Calamine lotion. Caladryl was a precurser to this newest version, but the new Calagel has an antiseptic, an antihistimine, and a skin protectant in it and so it seems to be the best product now. There are hundreds of products on the market, but I've worked around Poison Ivy for over 30 years and I'm very allergic to it, and these are the best products and methods which I know work! Good Luck!

Sorry I do agree that the products you mention are effective but not on using hot water. Hot water will cause the oils to spread. Most recommendations now call for using cold water. I can not tell when you registered but rather than tagging a 4 year old message try posting a new thread.