Poison Ivy

[ironhead]

Hi Guys
On my five acres off to the East side there are about 1&1/2 acres of trees mostly silver maple. I was over there yesterday cleaning up and noticed that about half the trees have poison ivy growing up them. I spent about half the day cutting the vines and stripping it to the ground and recutting it. Is there anything i can spray on the ground to kill the ivy that will not harm the trees? Or is this something i will have to do every year. Some of the vines were as big around as a nickel and i am afraid it will damage the trees if i let it go.Thanks. Gary

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

You could try using Tordon or some other stump killer, but do not spray it on. Instead, use a paint brush and just paint the freshly cut stumps. This method should minimize the amount of product you need to use.
Any poison you use will affect the tree, even those that that are considered to be safe to spray on root areas, like Round-Up.
By the way, how are you today? Covered in itchy bumps?

 

[Scott76]

What ever you do DON'T BURN POISON IVY. That is a VERY BAD idea.

If you are a little itchy use Tecnu. I even used the wash before I started cutting Poison Ivy and after too. The Tecnu gel works great too.

Growing up we made a strong tea out of White Oak bark. NOT TO DRINK. We would spread the tea on the Ivy rash. It would dry it up fast. Make a big batch and keep in the frig (label it!!!). We used a paper towel dip it to the tea and wiped it on the rash. I need to make more myself.

 

[moss]

Poison ivy growing on silver maple sounds like you have a nice low spot, is it fairly wet in that piece of woods? Poison ivy vines have low impact on trees. They don't have the same choking habit as bittersweet, grape or some of the other invasive vines. Poison ivy is native of course so it has a balanced relationship with host trees. I've seen very big mature trees with equally old PI vines on them, the host trees were quite healthy. When you mix low wet woods or bottomland with trees and some openings to sun you're going to have poison ivy, it will just keep growing back. It provides food for wildlife and turns beautiful scarlet red in the fall so it's not all bad.

One other thing, for most people who react to poison ivy it takes about 48 hours for the rash to show up. It can be sooner if you're extremely reactive. Hopefully you will not have that problem. If you haven't already, put all the clothes you were wearing during the PI removal through the wash and wash off the shoes and gloves etc., and wash your hands as well after you handle all that stuff.
-moss

 

[ironhead]

Poison ivy growing on silver maple sounds like you have a nice low spot, is it fairly wet in that piece of woods? Poison ivy vines have low impact on trees. They don't have the same choking habit as bittersweet, grape or some of the other invasive vines. Poison ivy is native of course so it has a balanced relationship with host trees. I've seen very big mature trees with equally old PI vines on them, the host trees were quite healthy. When you mix low wet woods or bottomland with trees and some openings to sun you're going to have poison ivy, it will just keep growing back. It provides food for wildlife and turns beautiful scarlet red in the fall so it's not all bad.

One other thing, for most people who react to poison ivy it takes about 48 hours for the rash to show up. It can be sooner if you're extremely reactive. Hopefully you will not have that problem. If you haven't already, put all the clothes you were wearing during the PI removal through the wash and wash off the shoes and gloves etc., and wash your hands as well after you handle all that stuff.
-moss

Thanks for the responce and help. Yes there is a couple of low areas over there that hold some water when its wet out. I was bback out yesterday clearing some more. I'm one of the lucky people who does not get the rash. Never have. My mother is just the oppisite,she gets it bad. Any way thanks again.I guess when i'm over there i will carry a pair of cutters in my back pocket and cut it if i feel like it. Gary

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

One other thing, for most people who react to poison ivy it takes about 48 hours for the rash to show up. It can be sooner if you're extremely reactive. Hopefully you will not have that problem. If you haven't already, put all the clothes you were wearing during the PI removal through the wash and wash off the shoes and gloves etc., and wash your hands as well after you handle all that stuff.
-moss

And DON'T wash this stuff with your regular laundry!

 

[okietreedude1]

Ive had pretty good results spraying the stuff with mixture of roundup (generic) and trimec.

I use the 41% glyphospate at 6oz per gall and the trimec at 4oz per gallon. Its about double the strength but it works.

I was in some too the other day and am starting to itch :censored:

I got online last nite to answer a question the homeowner had: how long does it stay potent? According to two different websites, 1-5 yrs after its dead! Didnt know it was that long. It too said just because you dont break out now you wont later in life. If you do, its lible to be bad. Be careful.

Best of luck with your patch.

 

[smokechase II]

Poison stuff

Tecnu.
Use the commercial washers at the Laundromat to surprise someone there.
It's not a strangler like other vines.
Don't burn what you don't want to breathe.

All good advice.

I would just take a heavy pair of snippers and clip the ivy at the base of the trees and leave it. Do once a year, twice if paranoid. Wash your snips with hot hot water soap and more soap and more soap.

Cutting the lighter brush with a chain saw it has a tendency to slap it back and forth and that can mean contact. Ooohhhhhh.

To really get rid of the itch usually means steroids. Not the classic muscle mass builders, but still very serious medication. Perhaps time for an arborist to do some quality work instead of you?
Teehee.

 

[Trinity Honoria]

Tecnu

not always a solution... i discovered that when i reacted worse to the Tecnu then i did to the poison ivy... :taped:

 

[smokechase II]

reaction

I used to do EMT work in the large fire camps.
We treated a lot of poison oak exposure. My experience has been for some reason, the oak I've been around, regardless of time of year, is more potent than Ivy, during the same point in sap flow etc. Never been around sumac.
I do not recall any accounts of tecnu reaction. Though I'm sure it does occur.

What was your reaction to the tecnu?

 

[Trinity Honoria]

I used to do EMT work in the large fire camps.
We treated a lot of poison oak exposure. My experience has been for some reason, the oak I've been around, regardless of time of year, is more potent than Ivy, during the same point in sap flow etc. Never been around sumac.
I do not recall any accounts of tecnu reaction. Though I'm sure it does occur.

What was your reaction to the tecnu?

a wide spread rash, where ever the tecnu was... but like someone mentioned earlier, 'just cuz you don't react today, doesn't mean you're safe forever...'

ever since alpha hydroxy was added to make up, i react to many things... (yes, i know there aren't many cross dressers here who use make up)... was hospitalized twice for those reactions; the tecnu reaction on my neck and face had sudden onset, with a firey red, hot rash that spread beyond the ivy area to everywhere the tecnu touched... so i had the itching bumps from the ivy, plus the burning scarlet reaction to the tecnu... i had to stick my head under a faucet and then pack the area with ice as i took the benedryl...

no, this is not the norm... but for any one who is reactive, test the tecnu ahead of time in the crook of the elbow... i realize y'all are manly dudes without this kind of reaction , but my caution is for the families (ie. children)...