I did all the peripherals of my yard today with the string trimmer. Of course I had to respool the line about halfway through but the speed feed head made that rather painless task. Anywho... I need to spray the poison ivy. I don't tend to get it but my wife and kids do. What works well?
Crossbow is your best bet. A wicked stout batch of 24D (an active ingredient in croasbow) or glyphosate as a second option. I sprayed a bunch yesterday with 24D and it is looking bad already.
I've always used glyphosphate. Tractor supply 2.5 gal 41% generic version. Works great, although I never tried 2-4d.
Most anything labeled "tough brush" will kill it and it's likely a mix of glyphosate and triclopyr. Do not expect well established vines to die completely with one app. I like to hit it and re-spray immediately after the next rainfall or 1 week. Whichever comes first.
Yes, it kills the poison ivy, but the oils I understand remain active for years. I don't try to eradicate all my poison ivy, just keep it in check. I do a few acres, every year. Kinda like maintenance for a wood lot. I really try to get the big vines cut at the base, and in 4 or 5 years it usually falls off the trees. Nothing worse than a tree that comes down full of PI and you have to make a decision if your going to leave it rot or tackle trying to get it off to cut up for firewood. If I kill it now, chances are the vines will eventually fall from the tree.
I tried the Roundup Poison ivy stuff and it just laughed at it (seriously, biggest waste of $$ I've had in years yard/garden wise). Vines I cut at the base last fall. I used 3 rounds of Scott's poison ivy and tough brush killer last fall which does knock it back. Then I pulled a bunch of it before anything started emerging in late March. I have since sprayed 2 more rounds of the Scotts, the Roundup (what a joke) and then 10 days ago I applied Ortho poison ivy killer and it seems to have done well. I have one patch that I am trying the smother technique with, but most I can't . My next step is to use Weed-b-gone poison ivy killer after I remove dead stuff. Hate being invaded by poison ivy from all 4 sides of my little 1/3 acre lot! I have cut vine bases except the one that is a good 3" in diameter because I can't physically mechanically cut it and sure don't want to use a chain saw! Oh yeah, the oils stay around for years, so you probably want to remove it as it dies. For dang sure don't burn it. I may try a low-level nuke next
There was a thread on poison ivy going on about 6 months back. It had great tips on removing the Urishol oil that causes the rash, I found the video in the thread informative. In case anyone's interested.
You wouldn't happen to have a Sawzall would you? Or you can cover up the best you can, use a chainsaw, use the top of the bar to cut it, and then go take a cold shower with dish soap immediately after.
Yeah, cause I want all that all over my sawzall. and all the tiny root pieces all over my yard to immediately grow into another plant . Sorry, don't mean to sound snide, but ask me, because I might know from experience, what a mulching mower does for the spread of poison ivy (or a weed wacker that my neighbor "helped" me out by using on my property when I wasn't home). Any little piece around here turns into another plant. I don't normally react to poison ivy - not that I don't take precautions anyway, but I don't take drastic measures either. So my concern isn't about that - but about spreading the weed even more.
Here's a good article on the subject. HGIC 2307 Poison Ivy : Extension : Clemson University : South Carolina Scroll about half way down to the control section. It explains how it is spread as a plant and the chemicals to control it. Plus other methods like continuing to cut it back to ground level.
Well, now I know not to waste my money on any other Glyphosates (not that they won't work for some, just didn't do a dang thing for mine - literally got no leef droop or anything after 2 weeks).
Thank you Jeffrey Svoboda - pasted the good stuff below, bolded section seems to be very important (my emphasis added) To eradicate poison oak and poison ivy chemically, use an herbicide that contains glyphosate, triclopyr, or a 3-way herbicide that contains 2,4-D amine, dicamba and mecoprop. See Table 1 for products containing these active ingredients. These herbicides can kill desirable plants, so be careful. If the poison ivy or poison oak is growing among plants you want to save, you can cut back the poison ivy or poison oak and spray or paint the herbicide only on the freshly cut stems or stump. If there are no desirable plants nearby, you can spray or paint poison ivy and poison oak without cutting them back first. Read and follow label directions whenever using any herbicides. The herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D amine, dicamba, mecoprop and triclopyr are translocated from the leaves and cut stems to the rest of the plant, eventually killing the shoots and roots. Repeated applications may be necessary. Depending on weather and other factors, it may take one to several weeks before you discover whether you have successfully eradicated the plant, so be patient. Herbicides work better when you spray at the right time. Poison ivy and poison oak are most sensitive to 2,4-D amine and dicamba treatments in late spring or early summer when the plants are actively growing rapidly. Triclopyr offers the best control after the leaves fully expand in the spring and before leaf color changes in the fall. Glyphosate offers the best control when applied between 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after full bloom (early summer) and should be mixed to a 2% solution.
Yes it seams there are key things you need to go by for it to work. I've had good luck with 24d but it usually takes two applications about a week apart.
Thanks for getting me thinking about what else I could use to cut the PI vine Jeffrey Svoboda . I had a craftsman utility saw that I've used like twice in the last 3 years. It was something I was willing to sacrifice as a PI only tool (de-contaminating any tool is a PITA, so I dedicate tools to it). A couple of weeks ago I sawed thru the vine in two places and applied some tough vine/brush killer to the cuts. The vine is looking dead to me - first pic is the vine cut about 2.5 feet up from the ground and the second is of the deadness induced.
