poison Ivy/poison Oak

Can anyone offer any tips/suggestions for the best/most effective approach to ridding a small wooded area that heavily contains poison oak and poison Ivy?

Jenniflower, you have a hard job ahead of you. This is something you will have to stay treating for some time. Are you opposed to using chemicals? Lisa

The best way I found was to actually cut the base of the plants and then hit them heavily with liquid Round Up (or there's another brand as well, can't think of who makes it right now) that is SPECIFICALLY designed to kill PO/PI. This is one tough plant to kill.......and sometimes you even have to go back several times in the years after, as it spreads by runners and if the entire root system didn't get killed off with the first application, you will get come-backs.

I have found that cutting the stalks/stems at the ground level helps get the poison to the roots faster and more efficiently.

Don't envy you this job whatsoever! We had a "tree" of poison ivy on our property 3 years ago when we bought it that had a trunk at ground level that was 8" thick! (Do NOT do what we did - and attack it with a chain saw!!!!!!!) Got the WORST case of poison ivy EVER!! Also, do not burn this plant! The oils in the plant will get into your lungs and cause a reaction there just like it would on your skin!

Also - for what it's worth, you might be able to contact your local county extension agency and see if they offer any help.
Good luck!

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Patty, I was never allergic to poison ivy either until I bought this house (it is everywhere). I pulled a bunch of it out one day (along with my back) and broke out just a bit above the gloves on my wrist. The next time it broke out a lot worse. I now have some stuff called Tecnu made by Oak-N-Ivy. It is supposed to wash the oil of the plant off your skin....we'll see if it works this spring I have a lot to get rid of yet. Julie

Patty are you serious about goats eating the poison ivy and oak?

Ive gotten poision ivy a few times-this sounds drastic-but it works. I break the blisters open and pour gas on them! In a few days its gone!

i use round up and a shovel to get rid of it. My father inlaw said his dad planted it!!!DAH!

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What worked for me was using Roundup on the most hottest and humid of days throughout the summer...it killed a huge patch growing over a fence and up a tree.
Trish

You might take notice that your gloves and clothes can harbor the oils.That may be why your rash was worse the second time.Wash all articles seperately before using them again.

Also dogs and cats can carry it around in their fur till you give them a friendly rub!

I also am fighting poison oak. It was so bad along the back fence that we had to bulldoze it out. Now we spray with round up every few months as new spots appear...we may actually be rid of it in a hundred years or so!

Thanks everyone! :^}

Jen,I am allergic to them also,and a lot of experience with both.Herbicides will most effectively kill the plants when there is enough green leaves on it to absorb and tranfer the toxin to kill that size plant.This should be done when temperatures are above 85 degrees,little or no wind,and no rain is expected for at least 12 hours.Visit your local garden center and get 2 bottles of Tecnu.This product, when massaged into the affected skin for two minutes, will chemically unlock the urushiol's hold on your skin cells.The itching stops almost immediately and any blisters will be gone in a day or so.Two bottles is my own suggestion,one for home and one for work,should you find yourself in an eight hour stretch wishing you could retreat a spot or two.Department of transportation crews have been using this stuff for years.Z Medical first-aid cabinets have had it under another name,for years.At my store I carry the 12oz. size and it retails for 11.95.

Jen, Forgot to mention,it also decontaminates laundry, pets and tools.The urushiols found in these plants are potent and can remain viable for years.Use care even when handling dead plants.If I can be of more help, let me know.

Jen, If you can't find someone in your area that handles Tecnu,call 1-800-482-4464 (1-800-itching),Tec-labs,Inc.,Albany OR 97321.

Thanks a lot Vineman, you have been very helpful...!

Having had several bad bouts of PO/PI, including one hospitalization, since buying our home 3 years ago, I have learned great respect for these plants! Round-Up makes a special beefed-up formula just for them, and it requires wearing protective clothing and a respirator designed for toxic fumes, and application to the leaves with a sprayer. Round-Up works by the leaves taking the spray down to the roots to kill them, so I am a bit sceptical about cutting down to the roots and then spraying.

We STILL have not eradicated it, but maybe starting to win the battle...

When I was delivering pharmaceuticals, most of the pharmacists recommended a product called "poison ivy pills" made by Washington Homeopathic Products... You take them to help build up an immunity mornings and evenings for one week, and repeat every 30 days. There is also a dosage for an active case, listed on the bottle. Ask your pharmacist... they can get them, no prescription required. A bottle of 150 pills cost about $5.

darius

OOOOOH MY!! Poison Ivy! That's some wicked stuff...don't burn it...breathing the smoke can cause harm tooo. I only had a small patch in my yard...I used long latex kitchen gloves and pulled it up by the roots. It is gone...hopefully never to return!

Ahhhh! Long latex kitchen gloves! I always seem to get it on my arm below the glove line! Great idea! Julie