Help!poison ivy

I ventured into the much-ignored "ivy" part of our back yard, back by the fence, where I thought it was all English Ivy and lo and behold I have the most beautiful 15'x 15' plot of solid poison ivy I've ever seen. There is some sort of wild rose or berry with thorns in there, too, but mostly it's just poison ivy, strong, beautiful, thick and deadly.

How do I get rid of this??????? Hubby is horribly allergic to it and so am I... Doggone it, this is the corner that I had hoped to make into a peaceful retreat but not with poison ivy everywhere!!!!

I don't know what to do! Help!

ok-this sounds bad but like i posted before I dump gas on them and let it dry-can use bleach too Tig said(i think it was tig)
Ive done it to open sores and nonopen ones and it goes away in a day or 2.

****dont smoke! stay away from fire!!!******

Notmartha....NOOOOOOOO!!! Do not use gas for it will contaminate the ground and water supply! Plus nothing will grow there for a long time!

You can buy poison ivy killer and it does good!

PLEASE...NO GASOLINE!

I think she meant to put the gas or bleach on the sores.

Maybe I am confused but I was thinking she was asking how to get rid of the vines!

Janie????

Janiejoy, this is the best time of year to use Roundup or another systemic on the poison ivy, because the herbicide will be carried through the vascular system down into the roots as the plant starts to go dormant.

I recently read that trying to kill it in the spring is difficult because the vascular system is busy transporting carbohydrates from the roots into the leaves for energy to help the plant grow. So you get dieback of the topgrowth, but then it will start growing from the roots again.

But in the fall, the system essentially reverses itself, carrying energy down into the roots to store for the winter, so it's really the best time to kill it all the way through the root system. It might still take you a couple seasons to get it completely gone.

Yes, Imaseedpicker, I was asking about getting rid of the vines... not the rash!!! (THANK GOD!!)

Roundup.... I've used it before, and was thinking of that anyway because of wanting to clear that area of both the English ivy and whatever else is back there, including the dratted poison ivy...

Thanks, Vols, for your help and thanks to everyone for the ideas.

Now, do I rip it out in spring (after killing anything that looks green with another attack of Roundup?) and what on earth do I do with what I rip out!?

I know I can't burn it, my Mom ended up in the hospital from a neighbor doing just that.. . poison ivy in her lungs, eyes, mouth, nose, it was awful! So where do I take the darn stuff? Dump it out into a wooded area where hopefully nobody will come in contact with it?

Thanks for your ideas, and help, everyone.

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Good advice Go_Vols, I'd cut it back now, then spray the cut stems heavily. As for what to do with the cuttings... I'd cut them up small and bag them. Wash your clippers with alcohol and wash your clothes/ and gloves in a load by themselves with some good detergent.

Don't forget to use Ivy Block before going in to pull it out. Don't rub your face while working.

I had the same problem last year. I used roundup brush killer. I think the brush killer is stronger than regular roundup. Be careful poison ivy puts out runners so you may see some popping up in other parts of your yard. Everything that comes in contact with it is contaminated and should be cleaned. It took about a week or so for it to die down. Even the dead posion ivy can cause a rash so use gloves to remove it and throw the gloves away. Even after spaying last year I still found a few growing this year. Good luck this is some nasty stuff.
Rose

Be very careful if you or your dh is highly allergic. When we built our house, we cleared the land and piled it up and burned what we cleared. Well, there was poison ivy and my son, aged 12 at the time, breathed the smoke and he had a reaction by his throat swelling and nose, etc. Good thing I got him to a doctor and got a shot and he was okay.

>I'd cut it back now, then spray the cut stems heavily.<

Bzzzt! Wrong! Thanks for playing! :-)

Round-Up and similar herbicides do not work on cut stems. You have to spray the leaves, which absorb the chemicals and pass them down to the roots.

By the way, Janie, if you go this route buy the RU in a farm supply place, not Wally World or the like. There are at least ten RU formulations, and the stuff you get in garden centers is the weakest. Tell the farm supply guy what you need it for, and he'll fix you up with what you need. He might even suggest a different herbicide that will work better.

Cutting back the stems isn't necessarily a bad idea IF there's enough time for the plant to start putting out new, tender (and therefore susceptible) growth before you spray :)

I'd agree with using disposable gloves when you're spraying and especially when you're rooting out the runners and dead foliage. At least plan to dispose of the gloves when you're done. You might even consider doing the same thing with your clothing if you have some old things you can spare. Bag up everything, maybe even double bag it and throw it away when you've finished.

The main thing with Round up is to read the label, no matter where you buy it. The premixed stuff (which seems less expensive) may have less than 2% concentration of active ingredient (you're buying mighty expensive water there!)

The ready-to-mix can have anywhere from 25% to 50% active ingredient. For a bad infestation, where you want to kill EVERYTHING in an area, I'd buy the ready-to-mix in the strongest concentration you can afford, and don't add as much water as the instructions indicate - in this case more is better, at least within reason.

Good luck, Janie - let us know how it turns out!!!

Please be careful..... I agree with Brook, you need some leaf material present for the plant to uptake the round-up..
Also my uncle cut down poison ivy with a weed eater (unknowingly) and it went up his nose and got into his pores the infection was so bad he eventually required plastic surgery. Consider wearing a mask as well as gloves just to be safe.

Lol! I am glad I'm not allergic:)

Poison Ivy also blooms and seeds too! I have it sprouting all over my yard every year and I dig it up before it begins to spread!

The more I hear the more I am thinking it would be a good idea to let professionals clear that area for me.

Thanks, everyone, for your sage advice and for reminding me how volatile it can be. I remember having it on my behind from sitting in the woods as a child and those memories are NOT pleasant... Dad used IvyTox and it burned like fire!

I think I'll be calling around and getting some help from people who really know what they are doing.

Thanks!
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Dang,I'm sorry Brook, but I had motherloads of it in my backyard, and I DID just what I posted..and I don't have it there anymore.????? Hmmmm ? Of course ,I'm one of those gardeners that laugh at all the gardening books written that contradict each other.I have a bunch, and OFTEN one will actually say one thing, and another - the complete opposite. Experience is the best teacher for me. But I'd say ,Janie,your best bet would be to see the "poison ivy guru on the top of the hill"...or.... "Brook" !! LOL =P

hey Janie, if your going to get the big professional guns to take care of the ivy, why not let them take out the wild rose or berry with thorns?? maybe it's something nice?? just a thought :)

Yep, tootsie, I am planning on doing that but I may have to get a part time job to support my gardening plans, LOL

Thanks everyone, for your ideas.

My brother once lived where there were woods with lots of poison ivy. Didn't grow where they mowed but in amongst the trees. Anyhow someone gave him a billy goat as a joke. He would tie the goat to a different tree every day. After a while he noticed the poison ivy was gone. The goat ate plant roots and all. Everywhere to goat was tied was free of poison ivy.
Bernie