Poison Ivy

Can anyone tell me when and how is the best way to get rid of poison ivy? We have a big problem with it. My husband is not allergic, so he didn't realize it was even back there.....until he married me. I'm highly allergic, and since I moved here, I've broken out every year, sometimes more than once. Neither one of us are plant experts, and we really didn't know anything back then, but we've been told that the poison ivy in my yard has been here a long time. What we thought was just pretty greenery covering a really ugly fence is in fact poison ivy almost shrubs.

My husband has sprayed it repeatedly only to have it comeback. Last year, he got the roundup shrub killer after it, sprayed it really good, left it until it turned brown, and got out there with gloves, and cut tons of it away. He wasn't able to get it all, but he got a lot of it. My brother in law, who is also not allergic, was going to get out there with him this fall, and help him get rid of it once and for all, but becuase of some unexpected health issue with my BIL, they never got the chance.

Now spring is almost here, and I still have poison ivy. I was going to use jasmine to cover that ugly wire fence. My aunt has some yellow jasmine that has tried to take over her yard, and when I mentioned wanting to use jasmine, she told me I can have all that I want from her yard. Now that's an off I can't refuse. I really want to cover as much of that fence as I can, so it won't bother me a bit if the jasmine takes over....but I first have to deal with this poison ivy, or won't it just take over my jasmine, once I plant it?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I would make sure the poison ivy is gone before I plant anything that I want to keep in that area.

In my experience, the only way to get rid of poison ivy is by repeated applications of roundup. I had a few leftover plants that seemed to be immuned to the roundup so I gave them a little drink of tordon. Now my yard is poison ivy free, but if I had planted anything in that area before irradicating the poison ivy, I would have also killed that in the process of killing the poison ivy, or taken the chance of the poison ivy overtaking the wanted plants.

I would hold of for at least a year before introducing your aunt's yellow jasmine. Get rid of the poison ivy first. Then enjoy your aunt's jasmine. I can almost smell it now. :)

Just a suggestion from someone that's been that route.

Joan

Thank you so much for your input. I was being impatient, and wanting my jasmine now, but I think I knew in my heart that I needed to wait. Thank you for preventing me from making such a rash decision. I know I would have come to regret it.

so just keep on with the round up, and I will eventually be gone? I'm so glad. I was beginning to think it was immortal. lol

Hubby says use gasoline, but I think that is a bad idea.

Yes, gasoline is a bad idea, it'll take a few years for anything else to grow there if that's done.

you would have to fix the soil afterwords.
just cover the ground around them with
rock salt and water is one way ...

Someone once told me of another product that is supposed to be really good. You can buy it at a hardware store. I don't think I was every told the name. It is in an aerosol can and actually coats the plants with a white/silver spray that smothers the plant and also allows you to see that you sprayed it well. I have been using the Roundup brush/shrub (?) and poison ivy killer. I guess I'll see how that went here soon.

We've discovered some of the poison ivy vines on our property have diameters of 8 - 12". Spraying is out of the question because the vines are growing up 200+ year old live oaks. My husband's uncle, who lives in Florida, recommnended using Brush-Be-Gon full strength He swears by it. We haven't tried it yet. The idea is to cut the main stem a few inches from the ground and immediately brush the Brush-Be-Gon on the cut.

Please don't use salt. It can ruin the soil, too.

BettyDee

That's practically what we have here. It's really been a constant battle that has kept my backyard from being beautiful. I don't dare go out there and try to garden. I really am a wimpy one. I always have to get the shot, because technu, creams, and benedryl just doesn't cut it.

My husband is going to ask our neighbor if she'll allow him to see if she has it along her side of that fence, and if she does, he'll offer to rid her of it. We'll never get rid of it, if she has it too. Anyway, I hope she likes jasmine. I would be heartbroken if she wouldn't let me plant my jasmine.

Bettydee, I agree with dh's uncle. Be careful of the oils in the dead tops and roots. The toxins will remain viable for a while. It will be a constant battle.

jdee, you must learn to recognize poison ivy/oak. Once learned, you will not forget!

Very true. I went from being totally clueless to being able to pick it out a mile away. lol

Much easier to learn once you've had that rash isn't it? LOL

Just for what it's worth, when you do get poison ivy rash, I've heard wonderful things about the product Zanfel. http://www.zanfel.com/ My friend's husband used it on a really terrible patch on his leg and it cleared up in a day, no kidding.

I've been very lucky. I've in and through both poison ivy and poison oak without reacting to it, but my husband is very allergic to it. He reacts to it in much the same way as jdee. He found out how viable poison ivy remains after it dies. He pulled down vines we had severed sometime last year.

BettyDee

Zanfel didn't help me, but nothing helps me except the shot.

It's a huge hassel.

Noted, gw. Thanks. Its been many years since I had one but, you never know! One day, wow!

I have heard that white vinegar brushed onto the cut end can do real nasty(whoopee!) things to a poison Oak/Ivy. And, it shouldn't damage the soil. But, you'd have to get your husband to do the brushing-I suspect getting close enough to do it would really do unpleasant things to you.

Jadee , im the same pickle ..only thing that works for me is
a shot of hydracortasone

Zanfel won't help once it's gone systemic and is in your bloodstream. That's when you see patches pop up where you didn't even get the oil in contact with you. It works by removing the urushoil from your skin - it's about the only thing that will break that bond.

This message was edited Mar 12, 2005 6:57 PM

My understanding is the only way to really get rid of poison ivy is to make sure ALL of it is pulled out, all the roots. Otherwise that stuff will keep coming back. I am highly allergic and there is poison ivy in the woods around here and I have to be vigilant to keep it off of my place and off of my skin.

I took some pictures today to show ya'll what we're up against. Please, PLEASE...ignore the hideous fence. All of these naked vines are what's left of the poison ivy. My husband got most of it off our side of the fence, but now we have to ask the neighbor if it's ok for him to work in her yard. It's never going to go away as long as she has it. She's a retired widow lady, so she may appreciate the offer. At least that's what we're hoping.

it's like that all down that side of the fence. I had to use the zoom on my camera, becuase I can't go over there.

Glad I don't have to deal with that big job!

Wanna hear a story that's funny now, but wasn't at the time? It's the story of the first time I (and dh) discovered the pi.

One note of caution about your intended replacement plant - if you're referring to Gelsemium sempervirens (aka Carolina Yellow Jasmine or Jessamine), it's poisonous, and the nectar is toxic to honeybees. Just an FYI - it's a pretty plant, but you may want to reconsider....

I didn't know that. She just called it yellow jasmine, so I'm not sure what she's got. I was just excited becuase it's free. Maybe honeysuckle are a better option.

I did not know that. Thanks for the info.

Yikes! You said you had a lot of poison ivy, but that is a LOT!

I don't think it's all poison ivy, but most of it is, and it's tangled all up in whatever is not. Does that make sense?

Anyway, if the neighbor is ok with it, I don't see why we couldn't just get rid of everything, and start fresh. Face it, we'll never get it all if we try to guess what is and what isn't.

I'm itchy just reading this thread ! Can't imagine what you go thru ?

JDee:

I am a fellow poison-ivy queen. I get it every single year. Both my daughter and I are highly allergic (and she doesn't even go out in the backyard!) We both get it to the point that our eyes swell shut, covers entire body, my daughter even had it in her mouth! The only relief for us is to go and get a Cortisone shot followed by treatment which consists of 7 days of taking decreased amounts of prednisone. You do not build up immunity to poison ivy - the only thing you can do is stay as far away as possible. The oils are carried in the air as well as on the plants - that is why burning it is even worse. It can also be carried on pets and clothes and then transferred to you. Zanfel is helpful for the rash as is taking a bath in Sea Salt. As for eradicating it from your yard, you must get the roots out. Round-Up has a special killer just for Poison Ivy which works well, but will also kill everything else around it. Spray it all over, wait for it all to die, cut down and cut out the entire area and I suggest tilling the entire area with new dirt - NOT YOU, but someone who is not allergic. If I were you, stay away from the area, and don't go out there without putting on a lotion called IVY Block. It coats your skin with a barrier that helps the urisol oil from the poison ivy not be able to penetrate. (of course, I still got poison ivy anyway) Good Luck. Plant your jasmine in a big container garden this year and cross your fingers! JMNMill214

I have had good luck using Ortho Brush-B-Gone. Had 2 moderate size patches when we moved in 5 years ago. I sprayed 2 years running in the spring as soon as I noticed it waking up. Have not had it come back in the last 3 years.
It comes in multiple forms -
in a can as a foam,
measure and mix yourself - if you have a sprayer,
and as a premixed pull sprayer.

The birds like the berries a lot and of course sow the seeds. It is important to recognize it in the seedling stage. Unfortunately it takes many forms. Even the new shoots from the mother plant can be different! A good rule of thumb (how did that phrase come about?) is "leaves of three, leave it be." Also, the petiole on that middle leaf is longer than the other two.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1015.html

John

They only thing that worked for me is waiting until at least late summer when all the vines were up and growing and then going and pulling them up by the roots. Some roots went for a couple of feet and tore up the soil, but I just kept pulling. I used the brush b gone once, but it always seemed to only kill it down to the dirt, but then next year some would be coming up from a portion of root that was still alive.

Off the subject a little but to answer John: "Rule of thumb " came about from the old days, (not the good old days either), that a man could not beat his wife with a stick larger than his thumb!!! Rule of thumb.
Thank God, P.I. does not naturally grow here, cause I get it walking by.

Vizz8, interesting to learn where phrases come from. Probably were some complaints of liberalism then too!

Staci, me thinks we are better off using the systemics that kill the entire plant. Repeatedly if neccessary. Its like bermuda grass in that you can't leave anything alive in the ground. Besides, pulling them out with my hands is too "up close and personal." The birds are going to plant some more anyway. It is an never ending battle we have on our hands!

John

I've had to large patches of poison ivy & I sprayed them with the Poison Ivy/Oak killer & neigher patch has grown back. My DH is extremely allergic to PI & because of that he doesn't help me weed. He'll mow the grass, rotortill, etc., but no weed pulling & that is what takes most of my time. Can't believe how many weeds can grow in a yard. By the time I get all my beds pulled, it's time to start in the 1st one again.

Be sure & do NOT Burn poison ivy/oak. If it gets in your lungs, it can be very nasty!!

Technu seems to work real well for me. I've even been pulling weeds & there will be a PI plant coming up next to a hosta & the PI wasn't there the year before. It's amazing how it can find it's way into a yard.
Good luck on getting rid of it.

II cover myself from head to toe and remove clothing and gloves carefully. It is definitely a continual battle. But at least with pulling it out, I only have to work at it every couple years. With the brush b gone, it seems like I am out there carefully painting it on every year trying not to get it on the other plants around it. .

I'm the opposite. My husband has been known to pull it up with bare hands and not get it. I look at it wrong, and its a trip to the dr for me.

It will get him too, eventually! Thats the way I used to be. LOL