Is This Poison Ivy ???

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Looks like poison ivy to me. Avoid the chemicals if you can.....if it's just a small area, it's effective to use a hoe to cut under the roots and yank the plants/running vine out of the ground. Wash your tools off afterwards.
 
Yep.

It's the nasty friggin weed. Deceptive without the notches in the leaves, but a few have them. Color is a bit red, but I've seen it here just about that color in the fall.

If you weedwhacked around there, get off the net, find the clothes you were wearing weedwhacking and any other clothes thay have come in contact with, and throw them into the washing machine with a good shot of simple green. Then a second and third wash with extra regular detergent.

Then get in the shower with the simple Green and scrub untill ya wear a hole in the washcloth or run out of simple green.

Tomorrow, hose down the weedwhacker with brake cleaner or Ether untill it drips.

I get the crud year round, and am in a constant WAR with it.
It really likes the conditions between my blueberry bushes, and seeing as how I have a few over 14,000 of them, the PI low crawls into my AO and sets up camp constantly.

For Killin' the stuff....

2-4-D sold at TSC under the "Levelview" label is around 15 bucks a gallon.
Mix at 2-3% with water and it will kill everything but grass. The stuff is Hell on woody brush, and great for killing lawn weeds without killing grass.
One little whif on any ornamentals will kill them though.

"Crossbow"
Primarily 2-4-D with a bit of extra murder. Safe for grass, but kills everything else deader than fried chicken. Also sold at TSC for 50 bucks or so a gallon.

Both Crossbow and straight 2-4-D/2-4-D amine will affect surrounding suceptible vegetation with root contact to the target, so be carefull.

Roundup, AKA Glyphosate works OK. but expect a second or third battle with the stuff if applied at homeowner concentrations and rates.
Glyphosate works IN the roots, so it is safe to apply around desirables if you watch the drift. TSC and others have generic Glyphosate at various concentrations, so go for highest concentration for the dollar.
When you apply the stuff, add a shot of diesel fuel to the mix as a "Sticker".
There is NO poison Ivy specific Glyphosate. Just marketing.

My own stategy is to apply Glyphosate at max rate allowed, mixed with Glufosinate(Rely) and ammonium sulfate for quick burn down, and then come back and apply Velpar at 1qt. per acre. to stick a stake in it's nasty little heart. I can't use 2-4-D or crossbow because of labeling and threat to the bushes, or I would.

Ever try to get a crew to pick blueberrys in poison ivy? LOL!!
Ya can't pay 'em enough!

If you managed to get the crud on ya, get to the doc and get started on the prednisone ASAP!
Farting around for several days with OTC remedys will cost ya about the same as the doctors visit, and not be as effective.

My last bout, I ended up up with a NASTY Staph infection on top of the itchy blisters from the P.I. and it ain't any fun.

Whatever ya do... treat it like an evil chemical warfare agent, and DON'T let it get on your spouse because it WILL be your fault.;)

LOL!! My 'Ol lady is still mad from the lst time I gave it to her and brings it up every time I grab the bottle of simple green on the way to the shower..

Good luck!!
Dingeryote
 
Thanks, Dingeryote, good info. I've mixed whatever "Poison Ivy and woody brush killer" concentrate I could find at a higher concentration -- I'll look more closely and try to find the stuff you recommend. PI is everywhere here this year, really bad. Absolutely evil stuff. When I get it Zanfel doesn't do squat for me, it's 2 weeks of prednisone.

Narrow shave earlier this year. I was helping a climber friend and his partner take down a dead locust on a steep slope just over my back fence -- my neighbor's tree, but using a tree in my yard to pull the pieces back, since it was hanging right over his house. It's hard to explain the how it got to this point, but I'm holding onto a tagline with one hand and holding the shaft of a pole saw with the other to get the saw to bear on a lead fairly close to the ground. The ground man is holding the rope from the portawrap with one hand and operating the pole saw throttle with the other. The climber is in another lead with another tag line, if this thing goes pear shaped it's going to punch a hole in my neighbor's roof. We're cutting, dust is flying everywhere, and the guy in the tree says, "Keep cutting, one more inch, the only thing holding it together is that big poison ivy vine." I crawfished out of there pretty fast, told them that they'd just have to pretend that I was already covered in big, painful blisters and couldn't help at the moment.

Jack
 
Looks close enough to me. Kill it. Whatever you do don't burn it in a brush pile. My daughter was around a camp site that was being cleaned up, they burned some, she inhaled and got infected from the inside out. What an ordeal.

Very good prevention tips here, which i'll pass on to my better half. I was covered with it as a child. Now I can bath in it. Not so for my wife though.
 
Roundup is not very effective on woody plants. Garlon or Crossbow are far more effective at killing poison oak and poison ivy. And blackberry, and scotch broom, and...

Damn, I am getting all itchy looking at those photos.

will it harm trees as well?
 
SNIP

Very good prevention tips here, which i'll pass on to my better half. I was covered with it as a child. Now I can bath in it. Not so for my wife though.

Interesting -- seems like people who got it as a kid often outgrow it, while those who never got it as a kid and develop the allergy later have horrible reactions.

Jack
 
leaves of 3 let it be!

Leaves of 4 - eat some more!

Regarding the difference in coloration some have mentioned:

I'd suspect that Ductape the OP will note a change in color over the coming weeks if he doesn't kill it first. He and I are pretty close in latitude and we're only now heading into full leaf. The color of the new foliage tends to become less vibrant and, in some plants even changes, between mid/late May and the summer months.
 
Poison Ivy like many many other ivy's has an oily surface that makes it look shiney. Weed killers like Roundup have a tough time penetrating the surface and just make the plant a little sick. For Poison Ivy I like to add a little dish soap to the mix (works like the kerosene but less toxic to the soil) to break the surface tension of the oil on the leaves. This allows the the roundup to get into the plant and kill it.
 
Last edited:
I'm no expert on PI, but I guess I should be...... as bad as I get it. I do remember my pop telling me it had shiney leaves, and three leaves in a cluster.

For the nay-sayers....... when I found it in my yard, I googled it and came up with a bunch of pictures. This is from my google search, and looks EXACTLY like the stuff out back.

PoisonIvyPic.jpg



I know some of you guys are gonna call me a cheese-ball, but I went to WallyWorld last night and bought the off-the-shelf stuff. If its not wilting soon, I'll mix up a better concoction.

PoisonIvy001.jpg
 
Hopefully you'll rid yourself of the weed and spare the lilly of the valley. We have quite a bit of it around our boundaries. Those tinkerbell little flowers smell really nice. And the foliage is a great low-maintenence ground cover.
 
Poison Ivy like many many other ivy's has an oily surface that makes it look shiney. Weed killers like Roundup have a tough time penetrating the surface and just make the plant a little sick. For Poison Ivy I like to add a little dish soap to the mix (works like the kerosene but less toxic to the soil) to break the surface tension of the oil on the leaves. This allows the the roundup to get into the plant and kill it.

Laird,

Us tractor trash folks use some stuff called non-ionic surficant or a "Sticker" like crop oil to do exactly as you describe. LOL!!

a small amount of dish soap would work about the same.

Some brands of glyphosate like "Cropsmart" include the NIS in the mix if ya shop around;)

Stay safe!
Dingeryote
 
will it harm trees as well?

Crossbow, straight 2-4-D, and Garlon WILL kill smaller trees at higher concentration rates, and knock larger trees back a bit.

Be a bit leery of possible root contact with the target and use min. rates if you are concerned, as all three work in the surface tissues of the targets roots.

One of the best ways to murder Sassafrass/poplar is to cut a couple trees at the center of a clump, and soak the cutts in crossbow.
Several weeks later the whole clump will be croaking nicely:D.


Stay safe!
Dingeryote
 
Technu....that's the name of the stuff I use to get rid of it on my person. Rub it in for a couple of minutes, shower off with HOT water (OOOHHHHH it feels soooooooo goooooooood) then a few hours later it starts drying up. <$10 / bottle.
 
I'm getting all itchy just lookin at it...oh never mind, that's just the poison ivy I got three weeks ago. Don't kill that stuff with a weedeater for sure. Roundup or diesel, then keep it mowed short for a while. The grass should keep it choked out. I hate that stuff. Really clear pics btw.

Lol I made that mistake on the weedeater. Tried to get rid of it like that but me being the dumbazz I am was wearing short's. the whole front of my leg's itched for seemd like days.
 
Lol I made that mistake on the weedeater. Tried to get rid of it like that but me being the dumbazz I am was wearing short's. the whole front of my leg's itched for seemd like days.

Jewelweed's coming in on the NW slope of my property leading down to the brook. Makes a good salve.

I was skeptical at first when a friend told me to try it on PI and sunburns. Herbals/natural remedies never work for me, but this one did.
 
Oh Yes it is!!!!! Zanfel kicks A$$ but can be pricey. Try the Rite-Aid store brand it's about $26 vs. $44 for brand name Zanfel.



This Zanfel stuff................ you put it on you after you think you have been in contact with PI ???

Or, do you put it on you after you start breaking out ??
 
This Zanfel stuff................ you put it on you after you think you have been in contact with PI ???

Or, do you put it on you after you start breaking out ??

I use it AFTER I have a rash. You wet the rash area with water, you put a dime size dab into your damp palm and rub it into a paste. Then put the paste on the rash and scrub the rash for a few minutes. Finally wash it all off with water....that's it. I got it 3 times last Summer and used the Rite-Aid brand Zanfel. The itching was 95% gone and the whole rash was going away within a few hours.....I have posted on other threads what a miracle this stuff is.

Of course this can all be avoided by showering with dish soap then regular soap after within an hour of finishing in the yard.:clap:
 
will it harm trees as well?

I have not seen it harm trees. We used to spray that stuff with an ATV sprayer pressure tank system or a backpack pressure tank system. As long as you do not spray the trees directly with the stuff, it should be OK. Do not spray Garlon in stream areas though, as it will mess up any fish in the water. A method to get around spraying is to cut a spem and dab it with a mix of 50% Garlon and 50% ag oil. It will soak into the stems and kill the roots. It will not get into the stream that way. That method is great for blackerries in stream areas. Snip and dip.

Several spray methods that we used:

Baby Planted Trees: Sprayed in late winter while the trees were still dormant. We used a 3 foot section of 8 inch corrugated culvert and popped it over the trees. Then sprayed a 3 foot diameter area with Roundup and Velpar. Note: we used regular Roundup (and Garlon) as Ultra just has more surfactant (spreader). We preferred more sticker than spreader. Velpar is a ground/root absorbed herbicide that has better long term effect, and Roundup is good for existing broad spectrum weeds and grass. We sprayed the trees for 2 years following planting for killing weeds that would otherwise rob nutrients and moisture.

Grape Vines: Sprayed vine rows with Roundup a foot along either side of the rows to keep weeds and grass down. Sprayed in late winter when grapes were dormant, any Roundup hitting the grapes was broken down before they strated growing. Roundup pretty much breaks down as soon as it hits the dirt. Woody plants pretty much are unaffected, especially if they have bark.

Poison Oak, Scotch Broom and Blackberry: We used either Gralon or Crossbow for these. Garlon alone was more effective on PO and broom. Crossbow was more effective on blackberries. Crossbow is a blend of the active ingredient of Garlon (Triclopyr) and 2,4-D. 2,4-D only works on dicot plants; it is a fertilizer for grasses (and what is in Weed 'N Feed). You can also use Garlon in a 'hack and squirt' method on larger shrubs and small trees when you do not want to cut and remove them (in places where they are dense, or otherwise not removable). Cut the base of the tree or shrub with an axe or chainsaw, and squirt in some Garlon. This method works well for brooms, becasue if you pull up brooms, the soil will be distrubed and their seeds will be activated and more inclined to sprout. Adding Diesel to the spray mix worked well for Blackberries, and knocked them down really fast. Spraying with fossil fuels in many states is not legal though... *cough* I used large cardboard boxes opened up as a backdrop for preventing drift from these sprays to contact trees and oyther plants that we did not want to kill.

Scotch and Bull Thistle: I absolutely hate this stuff. The needles are so sharp on Bull Thistle that they will go through thick leather gloves like they are not even there. I found that double strength Roundup works best on these broad leaf leafy plants, spray directly and as early as possible. One issue with Roundup is that it takes a lot of time to see the effects of the spraying. Usually about 2-3 weeks.

In all these applications, use a proper pesticide rated face mask, wear gloves, long pants and shirts. Cover your head, and any exposed areas of skin. Do not spray on windy days, and watch for spray drift. That stuff can be carried away pertty easy. My brother's previous tree/landscape partner used Roundup on a client's property, and the drift killed the neighbor's plants. That guy had to replant and re-landscape the neighbor's yard at his expense!
 
Back
Top