luvthetrobag
ArboristSite Member
Who else deals with this stuff. Is it just me or is PA the poison ivy capital. I cant get away from the stuff lately. I think ive built somewhat of a resistance to the stuff. Any body else have to work in the stuff.
poison ivy
- Thread starter luvthetrobag
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CoreyTMorine
User Formerly known as BlueSpruce
2 months ago I ended up with this job where the home owner wanted me to pull all of the vegetation off of a cliff behind his house. I bid the work before the foliage really came out and kind of assumed / hoped that all of the viney stuff was wood vine or something. Well when I got into tearing the material out it was all poison ivy. For 2 or 3 days after I was covered in it lol.
I used Technu before and after, it didn’t help. The other day my groundie suggested washing the ivy sap off with baby oil, which we tried, and I didn’t get any sort of rash.
As for immunity I always thought that the reaction gets worse with each exposure. The bumps and itching are caused by your own immune system reacting to the ivy, and the more exposure you have to it the more sensitive ones immune system becomes.
Anyway, I’m a bit north of you, and we also have the stuff in goodly quantities.
I used Technu before and after, it didn’t help. The other day my groundie suggested washing the ivy sap off with baby oil, which we tried, and I didn’t get any sort of rash.
As for immunity I always thought that the reaction gets worse with each exposure. The bumps and itching are caused by your own immune system reacting to the ivy, and the more exposure you have to it the more sensitive ones immune system becomes.
Anyway, I’m a bit north of you, and we also have the stuff in goodly quantities.
M.D. Vaden
vadenphotography.com
Few yards have it here in town, but its very common in the countryside and rural properties.
I even made a web page about it - ours is poison-oak, same basic ordeal.
One that looked dramatic, was a 4" to 5" diameter trunked poison-oak vine growing up a redwood tree near the coast. At least 150 feet up into the tree.
One of its few redeeming qualities is the red fall color.
It grows in many parts of Oregon, but not "all over the place". It's thicker here is southern Oregon.
The trail in my signature, seemed to be lined 30% of the first 3/4 mile, with poison-oak. In one part of the video, I show a clip of a section that looks like ground cover.
I even made a web page about it - ours is poison-oak, same basic ordeal.
One that looked dramatic, was a 4" to 5" diameter trunked poison-oak vine growing up a redwood tree near the coast. At least 150 feet up into the tree.
One of its few redeeming qualities is the red fall color.
It grows in many parts of Oregon, but not "all over the place". It's thicker here is southern Oregon.
The trail in my signature, seemed to be lined 30% of the first 3/4 mile, with poison-oak. In one part of the video, I show a clip of a section that looks like ground cover.
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woodchux
Addicted to ArboristSite
I saw on CNN last week they said that the levels of 'poison' in poison ivy have been increasing since they began monitoring the levels. They attributed the increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as the cause.
CoreyTMorine
User Formerly known as BlueSpruce
My budy Kevin said the same thing the other day, I just figured that he was surfing while under the influence again.
Thillmaine
ArboristSite Operative
Ridick
When I was back in maine poison ivy never seemeed to reach much father then the 3 leaf stage, I mean from time to time you would see some vines here or there. BUt know I am in the boston area.. and I cant seem to get away from it. All over large treews, all int he ground, it seems every job has PI on it. Sucks, but our salesman pretty much tell clients, were not doing anyhtring about it except spraying it with herbicide.
When I was back in maine poison ivy never seemeed to reach much father then the 3 leaf stage, I mean from time to time you would see some vines here or there. BUt know I am in the boston area.. and I cant seem to get away from it. All over large treews, all int he ground, it seems every job has PI on it. Sucks, but our salesman pretty much tell clients, were not doing anyhtring about it except spraying it with herbicide.
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Poison Ivy is a total miserable PITA!!!
The only thing that works for me is Prednazone ( did I spell that right??? )!!!
The only thing that works for me is Prednazone ( did I spell that right??? )!!!
BostonBull
Addicted to ArboristSite
Last year everytime I cut around the stuffI got it, even though I was using Tecnu.
This year I have had toclimb through it, cut through it and standing in it hip deep while cutting up some down trees. I have switched to Tecnu EXTREME this year and I havent had a rash once. I wash at the shop, right when I get home, and once before bed. I then wash first thing in the morning and every day for 2 more days when I take a shower.
Tecnu EXTREME is diffeent its a gel, and is in a squeeze tube like face wash or toothpaste. It also has little grits in it like liquid sandpaper, most likely ground walnut shells.
Try it its worth the $16!
This year I have had toclimb through it, cut through it and standing in it hip deep while cutting up some down trees. I have switched to Tecnu EXTREME this year and I havent had a rash once. I wash at the shop, right when I get home, and once before bed. I then wash first thing in the morning and every day for 2 more days when I take a shower.
Tecnu EXTREME is diffeent its a gel, and is in a squeeze tube like face wash or toothpaste. It also has little grits in it like liquid sandpaper, most likely ground walnut shells.
Try it its worth the $16!
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chainsawjunky
ArboristSite Guru
Hahaha. I heard poison ivy sucks. I've never gotten it. I'm pretty sure it doesn't affect me. I've seen it and worked through it but I've never gotten it. I've seen poison oak around where I live before but I've never had to work in it so I don't know if that affects me or not.
Evan
Evan
I heard of a home remedy a few months ago and recently tried it with great results. Once I get the rash, I take a hot shower and scrub with soap on one of those green scratch pads until the infected area is rubbed up pretty raw. I then take chlorox bleach and pour on all areas. Stand and drip dry and do not cover for a few hours. Rash is dried up the next day. I'll admit that this is very painful, but nothing else works for me.
LightningLoader
ArboristSite Operative
Bleach?! Are you kidding?
Burts bees used to make some sort of poison ivy bar soap that may be handy for you guys to just carry in the truck just in case. Don't know if it really works though.
Burts bees used to make some sort of poison ivy bar soap that may be handy for you guys to just carry in the truck just in case. Don't know if it really works though.
luvthetrobag
ArboristSite Member
We had groundie who was immune and we thought great he can deal with it so we wont get it. Wrong. Instead he spread it to all the trucks and tools because he would be so fearless with the stuff.The next day he would be fine and the rest of the crew would be covered.
chainsawjunky
ArboristSite Guru
Yeah that happens occasionally. When I was younger I walked through a bunch of it and then my mom touched my clothes when she did laundry. Needless to say she got it and was extremely angry.
Evan
bushinspector
ArboristSite Operative
If one gets it real bad, you can go in and get injected with a steroid to control the outbreak. Once the oosing starts it can be hard to get on top of it.
My son swells up like a mellon and and acts like a dog that has fleas. On the second thought I wonder if I should have taken him to the vet to have him clipped and dipped!!!!!!
My son swells up like a mellon and and acts like a dog that has fleas. On the second thought I wonder if I should have taken him to the vet to have him clipped and dipped!!!!!!
beowulf343
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yep, this actually does seem to work. Spent a summer trimming in Baltimore several years ago-never seen so many trees loaded with poison ivy. Fortunately poison ivy doesn't bother me but most of the other guys on the crews were doing the bleach thing. It will seperate the men from the boys though.
We have ivy-a-plenty around here, it does seem much worse this year than in the past....I'll blame global warming
Couple years ago I met up with one of our crews that was finishing up a clearing job, we chip into an F-350 dump which is open on the top, I came walking up with no goggles/safety glasses on and took a facefull of dust wafting over the front sides of the bed. Went to bed that night, eyes/face still irritated from the facefull of sawdust I received. Woke up the next morning and I couldnt open one eye at all and the other only partially, itching and oozing like a S.O.B. I had to go to the doc and take steroids which got me back to normal in about three days, that was one of the worst weeks of my life.
Moral of the story- always wear safety equipment in a work environment, always communicate (especially extraordinary) work conditions, and always spray that shiznit with some strong broadleaf weed killer well in advance!
Couple years ago I met up with one of our crews that was finishing up a clearing job, we chip into an F-350 dump which is open on the top, I came walking up with no goggles/safety glasses on and took a facefull of dust wafting over the front sides of the bed. Went to bed that night, eyes/face still irritated from the facefull of sawdust I received. Woke up the next morning and I couldnt open one eye at all and the other only partially, itching and oozing like a S.O.B. I had to go to the doc and take steroids which got me back to normal in about three days, that was one of the worst weeks of my life.
Moral of the story- always wear safety equipment in a work environment, always communicate (especially extraordinary) work conditions, and always spray that shiznit with some strong broadleaf weed killer well in advance!
joesawer
Addicted to ArboristSite
One more reason I like to stay above 5000' elevation.
M.D. Vaden
vadenphotography.com
"Ya-know"...
If someone using rubber gloves clamped like a hundred leaves in a garlic press or vise to squeeze the oil and liquids into a vial - they'd have almost a chemical weapon in their hands.
If someone using rubber gloves clamped like a hundred leaves in a garlic press or vise to squeeze the oil and liquids into a vial - they'd have almost a chemical weapon in their hands.
jrparbor04
ArboristSite Operative
this thread is just too ironic,,,yesterday we were clearing an area around a state champion river birch here in the st. louis area,,,i know that i get poison ivy all the time and pretty bad,,,but as the day went on,,,i got up to my knees in the stuff and woke up today itching like a s.o.b.,,,i used technu during the job and after,,,last year i used something that vermeer sells called oral ivy,,,take three drops in a class of water a day and helped me out quite a bit,,,just havent gone and gotten more of it yet this year
nytreeman
ArboristSite Operative
I've been in trees with poison ivy many times even pulling out the vines by hand sap dripping on me,and"knock on wood" have never even had a rash from it,but you do have to be careful about spreading the oils on your tools,trucks clothes where someone else can get it on them!
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