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Getting Rid of Poison Ivy

16 years ago

for several years I have had a patch of PI in my yard. Every year I spray with brush killer, and it dies. The next year it's back. How do I rid my yard of this for good? At some point I would like to plant in this area. At this point I have killed every thing that grows there. Help!!!!

Rose

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Comments (8)

bob64
16 years ago
I have seen this same type of plea for help with poison ivy many times in several forums. I don't know if you can completely eradicate it but you can knock it back a bit. I usually see the berries (which have the seeds) on vertically climbing parts of the vine so you could cut it where it is climbing to reduce seed production. It is harder if there is any nearby that creeps back into your yard from the outside. Birds also poop the seeds wherever. If you are feeling brave you can suit up appropriately and pull it up but I really don't reccommend it.
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roseoops
Original Author
16 years ago
I'm not brave enough to to pull it up. About a year ago in the dead of winter I tough something out back, and got a bad case of PI on the side of my face. One time I was weed whacking on that side of the yard, not knowing that PI was there, need I say more!!! I'm on an acre. One side of the yard is all trees with a wooded area in the back. It is along the side with the trees that the patch of PI is located. What if I lay newspapers and grass clipping etc over the area after the PI dies back ??

Rose
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First of all you want to be sure its poison ivy, there are plenty of look-alikes. I've found that spraying works best in the fall before the leaves have turned yellow. But I sometimes spray in the spring also it all depends on if I have RoundUp on hand or if I feel like going to the store to buy it. The chemicals in RoundUp work by getting inside the plant and killing tissues, so just puting it on the surface of the leaf will transmit it into the plant. But, it would take many applications to really damage a robust plant like poison ivy this way. Some people slit the vines stem and paint on the RoundUp like Tammy said and others swear by cutting the vine completely through and securing the cut tip into a small jar of RoundUp so that the plant takes massive amounts of the poison into its roots. I don't think you have to work THAT hard. Just be warned that RoundUp doesn't always show an effect right away, it may take a few days before the plant collapses and even if the plant looks dead you have to be very careful with the dried vine and leaves. The sad news is that poison ivy thrives in this area and no matter what you do now, you will have this problem again and again in the future. Bird love to spread the berries around and the vines send out runners far and wide. You will never completely get rid of it. RoundUp is the only chemical herbicide I use in my yard and I rarely use it. It is relatively safe to use but does a lot of damage to amphibians (frogs and salamanders) and my yard is full of them so I most often pull the poison ivy and honeysuckle rather than spray for it. I keep a pair of washable garden gloves handy and make an evening of it going around the yard pulling baby vines and putting them into a trash bag to throw away. I slather on an extra thick layer of cheap sunscreen just in case the leaves ever touch me and when I am done yanking them I go inside and scrub my arms and hands. I never get poison ivy rash after I go out pulling the plants (probably because I am extra careful) but I do get it constantly from just working in the garden. And from letting my 60 lbs hound sit in my lap to watch tv - I get it from her feet.
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weedsmakemecrazy, Glad to give you hope about the poison ivy. It is the nastiest thing going. Just be sure you are using the roundup poison ivy and brush not just the regular roundup. Regular doesn't work well. As for fencing in the area to keep the dog away, try having to fence in one whole side of a yard to keep a 5 year old away from it because she was so severely allergic to it she almost died twice after getting it. One problem I've found after I finally got every bit of poison ivy gone from my yard was this. It started showing up in new places a few years later. I turned green and had to start getting rid of it again. That fall I went for a walk down the street with my young daughter and found poison ivy on the side of the road and red berries on it. Then it hit me, new poison ivy was growing in my yard courtesy of the birds. So I started using the roundup stuff on the side of the road. Neighbors started helping me get rid of it and we keep after it all the time. Now all 10 houses on my street have had no poison ivy growing for 10 years. My little girl is 24 now, still badly allergic to poison ivy, but knows to be careful where ever she goes. She was an athlete all through school, varsity sports in high school and college and never got poison ivy playing. She'd walk the fields and side lines before a game and learned where to stay away if needed. Just keep after it and remember it takes a year but then it will be gone. Walk around the neighborhood and check the side of the road too. the birds will be very happy to seed more for you all the time. Fran
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Desensitizing remedies have been looked at for many years with no success. Your best defense is to know what Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac look like and avoid making contact with them, or know what to do right away of contact is made. Spraying bleach to kill plants is an inappropriate use of the product and is not an environmentally sound practice. kimmq is kimmsr
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nywoodsman's worldview is such because he has never experienced poison ivy like the rest of us! My wife and I are very allergic to p.I. But she is more allergic than I. We went to Disney World one year and they wouldn't let us in to a tour group because they thought she had a highly contagious skin disease (like eczema) on her face!! We had an abundance of it growing in a shrub we wanted to keep. I trimmed the shrub but avoided p.I. like the plague!! But it got so bad growing out of control each year that this year I had to do something. I obtained SYRVET's OB Veterinary Gloves which go all the way up to the shoulders (you can get them on Amazon). I had my wife tape them to my shoulders--however, you have to tape them across the back of the shirt, from top of glove to top of glove because the sweat will cause the tape to come loose and the glove will descend down to near the wrists. Not good!! After I finished working, I had my wife carefully pull the long gloves inside-out and we placed them in a plastic bag for disposal. She had to wash right away but did not get any rash. Once the gloves were off and disposed of, I immediately used Technu on my hands and wrists by rubbing them for several minutes. Then I used a liquid soap on that and washed my hands and wrists off. I followed that with a shower. Don't think that wearing an old pair of pants will protect you completely! Some of the urushiol oil penetrated the cloth and I got a rash on my thigh. I treated it with Technu soap regularly for several days. That did not get rid of the rash but it did lessen the severity of the itch. Some may be interested In knowing that Technu also makes something called "Tecnu Corticool" which is a hydrocortisone that gives you relief from the itch. But you will have to apply it again after awhile. This cream comes in a 1.5 oz tube and can also be gotten on Amazon. Hope this helps
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bob64
16 years ago
It'll help but I doubt it will eradicate it.
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m_lorne
16 years ago
Poison ivy actually spreads via an underground vine. Until you can isolate the area, it is usually going to resurface. It is unfortunately one of the worst things to get rid of. The vine does not go very deep, so you could try digging a trench around the main part of the plant and then treating that area. Either way, it's going to be messy...
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roseoops
Original Author
16 years ago
What if I just dig a trench where the PI patch is a spray a bunch of brush killer in it. I'm really afraid to touch it. The other problem is the patch is near the property line, and my neighbor is not very nice. So if the main part is in his yard I would not have excess to it.

Rose
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klaa2
16 years ago
Would the roots eventually die if the plant above ground level is killed via chemicals (starve them)? I assume the roots also harbor the oils? If not, kill the plant with chemicals and then dig up the roots.

If you properly suit up (including you face because the stuff can and will squirt and spray when yanked) you should be able to work on it yourself. If you are severely allergic or just too apprehensive about the idea, do you know anyone who is not allergic and willing to help you for the day?

You can always call in a profe$$ional. A landscaper should be able to tackle this for you.

It sounds to me like you may have a bigger issue than the Poison Ivy...your neighbor. Hopefully, if he has half a brain, he'll provide access to his yard for complete removal because it'll benefit him.

Whatever you do DO NOT BURN POISON IVY. The smoke is just as bad as the oil and you can inhale it which will make it worse.
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bob64
16 years ago
It is my understanding that all parts of the poison ivy plant have the nasty oils. Dead plants can get you too. Ditto the advice not to burn it. That is actually one of the problems that wildland firefighters have to deal with.
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roseoops
Original Author
16 years ago
My neighbor does not even have half a brain. Some of the PI is in his yard. I spray what I can. I guess there is no easy way. I just keep at it. There is a patch of ditch lilies that some of the PI was growing by. Funny thing is every thing there died but the ditch lilies. Thoses darn lilies can't get rid of them either :)

Rose
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