Y'all, I'm so allergic to that stuff it isn't even funny- it evolves into a chemical burn and I have to go get a shot at the doctor's office along with a 5 day dose pack of prednisone. What is everybody using to combat the most evil plant in the kingdom? Up to this point, the best I've found is the purple-lid Roundup poison ivy/brush killer. The yellow lid Roundup poison ivy formula doesn't work worth a dang.
I try to stay out of the woods and away from the stuff during the'' green'' season. It can still affect you during fall and winter, but it's not nearly as transferable and I tend to have more clothing on. Sent from my Z832 using Tapatalk
I'm not sure if 2,4-D kills poison ivy or not but it's worth a try. I spray it regularly and as often as I use it I've never bothered to see what it does to poison ivy. I usually just cut the vines (all vines) off from their multiple root supplies with a machete or loping shears and let them hang to dry. This way the trees get the last laugh as the vines that invaded their trunks and canopy slowly wither away. Some of them are so large I use a small chainsaw. You should see the water that pours (literally) out of them...it's enough to get a decent glass of water if you were thirsty and ballsy enough.
Flamethrower? propane tank and a roofing torch? just spit balling. Maybe a mask if you try this method?
I've got it on both arms and legs from working in it last Friday night I think some napalm is in order!!
I battled this. Head to toe PI. Wrapped around the trunk from bottom to top. Tree was 80 ft tall. Bucked it up. Let it sit til the next year. It didn't die. Sprayed it with ortho PI killer and waited til the next year. Still came back. Finally after 5 years it dried up enough for me to move it and dump it across the street. Do not burn it. Fumes are toxic Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's tough. I use anything labelled 'kills poison ivy". Yeah maybe if you spray it over and over again. I sewar it's like quackgrass where you leave just a tiny bit of root/rhizome - it comes back. I think the roots can lie dormant for two years. I just keep spraying it. Course there's enough seed around it can just start over. I have one coming up in the crack between my concrete front steps and the sidewalk leading up to it. I've been peeing on it. It seems to like it. Boiling water is next. Seems I can walk thru it when the leaves are green and not easily damaged, but once the dry of Summer or the age of Fall comes and the cells on those leaves are easily damaged releasing the oil I have to stay away from it. I do get into some with the mower as I collect clippings for compost, so I'll get some on fingers/wrists sometimes.
I used the 2-4-D on a patch in my back yard yesterday. I have not gone back to evaluate it yet but it is definitely labeled to control PI and my luck with it on broadleafs in general for the last 50 years has been very good. So far I do not react to the stuff so I was standing ankle deep it it while spraying with a little pump sprayer. Wife is bothered by it or I would leave it where I found it to keep the neighbor kids out of my yard. "Get off my lawn".
I like hearing the input from everyone, and it seems as though we have no conclusive evidence that anything actually eradicates it for good. I will try the 2-4-D though, as I've never gone that route. You'd think with all the chemical brainiacs at Monsanto and Dow chemical that they could develop something good for us...to quote the Sandlot, it's "Killin' Me, Smalls!"
I started researching, and found this from Clemson University. I learned a lot, especially near the end where it says which of the chemical sprays are most effective at which part of the year for poison ivy. HGIC 2307 Poison Ivy : Extension : Clemson University : South Carolina
Using roundup (the regular stuff) last year stopped the PI last year but a couple of leaves have appeared there this summer. Now I've sprayed it with "Brushtox" from tractor supply. The stuff is 61% triclopyr. I've killed whole trees (unwanted mulberry) with it and it is used for basal treatment and stumps. Won't know til next summer if the PI is killed permanent or not.
I just buy whatever generic herbicide that is on sale at the farm store as long as it contains 41% Glyphosate. The stores around here usually put it on sale in the spring time and I'll pick up a 2-1/2 gallon jug of concentrate every couple of years. I mix it at a rate of 2-1/2 oz. per gallon of water. It seems to work best for me when the ivy is sprayed in the spring. My experience is that the generic herbicide takes about 2 weeks to kill the plant where as the name brand herbicides seem to turn the ivy yellow in a few days.
I've used the yellow capped I think it was Ortho or Roundup poison ivy and brush killer. It worked great. I did two coatings two days in a row about 6 years ago and I haven't seen not a plant in sight until this spring! The area by my house was very bad. It was aprox a 50' x 70' area that you couldn't even get near with some thick 1 1/2" vines on the trees as well as a carpet of the nasty stuff! When I sprayed I waited until we were going to have some very hot weather for a couple of days in a row with no rain in sight and let the little buggers have it! The day after the second coating of day two all the leaves were brown and falling off. Once all the leaves fell off of the ground PI I cut the vines and dumped that stuff all over the cut end and the root ball! It took me two 1 gallon jugs to treat that area. Basically just water the plants with the stuff make sure that you do this after the morning dew is gone and the sun starts to bake otherwise it's not very effective!
