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battalina

Poison Ivy

Battalina
11 years ago

Hello, I just identified the viney plant that grows behind and around my son's playhouse as poison ivy. The spot we chose for the playhouse before we put it together was an extremely overgrown with shrubs, trees and vines area that I cleaned up in the winter and early spring before the trees, shrubs and vines leafed out.The ivy had wrapped around most trees in that area and almost all branches and I patiently pulled the dormant stems one by one. Some of them had dried up bluberry looking black fruit on them. Then we put the playhouse together and put it under a tree in that area because it was the perfect spot for it and I thought it would keep it shady and cool in the summer.Now that I've identified the vine as poison ivy i won't let my son play there until i kill it. Here comes my question. Since I would rather pull it out than spray with chemicals do you think it's safe to assume that since I had prolonged contact with it while dormant in the winter without protecting myself with nothing more than regular gardening gloves, does that mean I'm immune to it? Or do you think since there were no leaves and it was cold i just got lucky? I did not wear long sleeves as even though it was cold I was working hard and was hot. I am very tempted to just pull it out the same way I did in the winter. Thank you in advance for any advice!

Comments (4)

  • User
    11 years ago

    Hi,

    It was dormant in the winter but you are not immune to it. A few very lucky people are not bothered at all but the majority of folk are. The first thing I would recommend doing would be to spray it with Round-Up, Killex or some kind of weed killer. You want to kill the plant right down into the root area. Pulling it out may still leave roots that can regrow. The weed killers now are locked up in some stores for the larger containers. I would ask a sales person for assistance and get a large container. You may need to spray more than once.

    Once you've determined the plants are dead may I suggest going to Canadian Tire or some place that sells those disposable full body suits (guys get them for doing messy jobs to keep their clothing clean) and wear the suit and gloves. It's the oil in the plants that can get onto clothing and that clothing when washed can spread to whatever is in the wash. Dig the plants out once dead, put into garbage bags and not compost bags. Throw the disposable suit out. Wash you garden tools well (wear rubber gloves) and wipe them down with rubbing alcohol (something that breaks up oil). Don't forget your footwear will also need washing.

    You really want to make sure the plants are dead, dead, dead especially since kids roll and play all over. Another thing you can do once all of that clearing is done is to lay down a few layers of landscape fabric and put mulch on top as a barrier to help deter any future growth and prevent your son and kids from coming into contact with any possible plant residue.

    I hope this helps. You really need to kill the poison ivy right into the roots to eradicate it. And be diligent to check the area over the summer and next year for any possible regrowth.

    Good luck with this,
    Peggy

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Not worth the risk (going in unprotected like mcpeg describes,) IMO. The oil (urishiol) can still be present even on dormant plants and dead plants. You can not know from that single experience, or any other experience, whether or not you will get a rash the next time you touch it. There is not agreement whether repeated exposures strengthen one's immunity, or erode it. Testimonials support both so the answer is likely that both can occur unpredictably.

    Without seeing a pic of the area you're dealing with, it's hard to be very specific, but what you described makes me think that a smothering method (probably heavy cardboard) could be helpful in establishing control.

    A PI rash really is agony!

  • Battalina
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you purpleinopp. I posted some pictures in the Woodlands forum if you want to check them out. I am trying to smother it with black heavy duty trash bags in one area, but some of it I will have to pull out....Wish me luck!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    You're welcome. Good luck!!

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