BTW if you go to his website (link below), I am warning you not to look at the skin rash 'hall of fame' photos. Trust me there are really some gross photos in there!

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: His website...

There was an article in the Patriot Ledger (a South of Boston regional paper)last night saying that over the last 50 years, poison ivy leaves have gotten bigger with higher concentrations of the oil that causes the problems. It seems that the higher carbon dioxide levels help it thrive.

Hi, sedum. My husband is a pro when it comes to tackling poison ivy. We had some in our yard and abutting our property last year. It was causing quite the problem (especially considering that my brother-in-law is severely allergic to the stuff & wouldn't visit for fear of a trip to the hospital afterwards).

Anyway, my hubbie had seen an episode of Ask This Old House where they discussed the best methods of removing poison ivy. Apparantly, the most "no fail" method is simply ripping the stuff out...making sure to get the whole root system out in the process.

So, my husband threw on long pants, long sleeve shirt, (taped his sleeves to his gloves and his pants to his boots), put on some protective head covering and got to work. Afterwards, his clothes went straight into the washing machine. He washed them w/ this stuff called "Tecnu" (which he swears by for poison ivy contact rashes...you can get it at CVS). And that was that.

A few minor spots popped back up this season but he ripped those out and, so far, nothings come back since.

Hello :-)

My DH does the same thing with PI in our yard, rips it out. He has also gone over to help the neighbor get rid of his that was coming under our fence.

There was a great thread about it on GW and I think I found the right one. Very educational.

Here is a link that might be useful: Getting rid of poison ivy

Jeez... I'm getting itchy just reading this!!!

Earlier this spring I was going after a patch of jewelweed at the transition of the woods and the woodland "garden". Its fine in the woods, but when it reseeds it goes EVERYWHERE. So I had the roundup and I was squirting away, when all of a sudden I stopped dead in my tracks! I recognized something non-jewelweed.

Here's the patch where I was doing the edges:

ANd here's what was mixed in with it that I didn't see until AFTER I sprayed it:

I did notice that it had "leaves of 3", but I also saw a flower and decided it was Jack in the Pulpit. I got a bucket of water and rinsed it off good.

So then I was being real careful about spraying. I saw a bunch more jack in the pulpet too. But then it started to look a little more like poison ivy:

And then, there was poison ivy!!!

At that point I was so paranoid about spraying good stuff by mistake, I just stopped spraying completely.

I later went back and checked things out. The Jack in the Pulpit was fine. And the PI was still there still looking like PI. I sprayed it good!

blech... I hate PI.

Since I don't border any woods, I just find random young plants in the shrub borders where birds drop the seeds. That sounds like a lot less of a problem than others have! The only problem I have is that my shrub borders are packed solid, so I'm usually in some weird position, balancing on one hand and one foot, or maybe on a knee and an elbow, with clippers in one hand and a bunch of weeds in the other, when I notice the PI. It's inevitably right where my hand or knee is keeping me upright, unless it's in my face. Lots of fun.

I too just rip it out, and then do a little dance to appease the gods of Evil Weeds. But if I had an area like WendyB's, I know I'd get out the chemical arsenal. You have my sympathies!

Seriously, guys. Invest in a bottle of Tecnu and keep it in your medicine cabinet. That's what we do. The minute you spot the PI and think you've come in contact w/ it, make a mad dash to your bathroom. Lather up for a good 2 minutes w/ the Tecnu and ta-da! You likely won't break out into one of those nasty rashes at all...and if you do, it'll be extremely minor.

Its certainly handy stuff to keep around the house.

And I should take some pictures of the poison ivy in our neighborhood. Its growing up the town trees in some areas and the leaves are bigger than my hand!

Great responses!

asarum - yes I had read that in various articles about global warming affecting the size / spread of the PI. I can definitely say as kids we played in many woods and I don't remember getting it as a child. So may be it was less toxic and less prevalent then?

Ponce418, PM2 - definitely your husbands are brave to pull it out! I just don't know if I could do it after having PI for several weeks on my arms twice. Just the thought of it! Yes.. I now have the Tecnu for PI contact emergencies and it does seem to work well. That is if you do it right away!

Wendyb - Too funny! I can just see you out there trying not to kill the 'good stuff' and washing plants. Great photos. I myself recently took a picture of PI for my MIL to help here identify. It is creepy when I look at the photo I almost feel an itchy sensation. I guess the power of suggestion!

DTD - I can just picture you trying to avoid the PI. I myself have felt this same way when involved with projects trying to avoid PI, ticks, snakes, frogs, etc. and suddenly noticing them...

Did anyone check out the authors web site photos of PI (not the rashes)? He has different photos of PI in different stages you really have to be an expert to recognize it all year long.

Sue

I've heard that tecnu really works, I'll have to get some because my DH is pretty badly allergic to PI. I just get the occasional few little blisters, but (knock wood) it has never been too bad. He currently uses vinegar on the rash when he has a reaction - he swears that this works very well. Just something to try, next time ...

Supposedly you can also use the technu *before* you go outside and it should help prevent any rash... or so I've heard. Never tried it, though.

:)
Dee

Undiluted Brush-be-Gone works as a charm for me.
For the large old vines climbing up on a 40-50' height of the trees I liberaly painted their thick 2-3" thick stems two times with one week interval and they become dead in a matter of another week. For the youngsters, spraying with UNDILUTED BbG show results in a couple of days.
You have to do it on a most sunny and heat intensive day for the best(fastest) results, though.
All my cl.hydrangeas and schizophragmas now happily growing on former PI supports :-)
P.S. Yes, vinegar helps if applied immediately.

The episode of This Old House that ponce418's husband probably watched is on line at http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,1630924,00.html

I thought I'd seen a previous one as well, though can't find it now. In that one they mentioned that Tecnu is basically mineral spirits. Since Tecnu is awfully pricey but mineral spirits are not, I often wash up with mineral spirits. I've used rubbing alcohol and Dawn dishsoap as well. I try to yank the poison ivy for a few minutes, hopefully wearing two pairs of gloves, then throw all my clothes and gloves in the washer and jump in the shower and scrub down.

My biggest problem isn't when I intentionally set out to pull the PI but instead when I walk through the yard, impulsively decide to pull a few weeds, then pull a few more, then discover "oh sh*t, I think that's poison ivy mixed in there." With me the rash doesn't seem to show up for at least a couple of days, so I spend some anxious time wondering whether I'll get it or not. This morning I decided to spray Roundup on some PI that was next to some expensive perennials, but I probably should have used a piece of cardboard or something to shield the desirable plants, now I'm a little worried about overspray.

And why is it that the poison ivy looks so darn healthy while some of the plants I *want* to do well are struggling? I've got some of the healthiest and fastest-growing weeds in the state, I'm sure!

Oh, I forgot - I've also heard that you can use Ban roll-on deodorant as a preventative. Again, I don't know if it works. But I've got to admit, after my first and only bout with PI two summers ago, I do carry a bottle of Ban in my garden tool bucket. I give a quick roll on my arms if I see PI in the area. I figure better safe than sorry. I don't ever want to get that horrible rash again!

:)
Dee

Am I really the only one on this form who needs to stop typing every other sentance to give my ozzing poison ivy a good scratch? Some how when I am covered with the rash it's hard for me to come up with a humorous anticdote...try me in another month or two. kt

I spray with Roundup because I get it so badly that if the pets go into it and sit on a chair, I get it from the chair! I've been slowly pushing it back from the house and paths, and KT you have my sympathy. My only case of PI this year was before the leaves came out. I'd been doing some weeding and mulching of a new shrub bed and some PI had snuck in and I'd brushed against it unawares. (I can ID it year-round, but it was a brushy area that I'd already cleared several times of PI and so I thought it was safe and wasn't looking.) Like Lovesummer, I use rubbing alcohol and strong soap, usually several times. I also wipe down clothing and shoes with rubbing alcohol before washing them several times, since I've gotten PI from clothes that have been laundered once. This procedure seems to work for me now. (I didn't get my first case of PI until I moved to the current house with so much PI that it was unavoidable, even though I've always spent a lot of time outside in the woods and fields. I guess I should be grateful for 40 years of not getting it!)

Ahhh, the infamous PI....! I learned from a utility company worker 20 years ago that they all use Technu. We are fortunate to have an industrial supply store in the next town. I've always been able to get the 12 fl oz bottles much much cheaper than when it first became available in CVS stores.

I bought this house in '92 and the back 1/2 of the property was all secondary forest/wetlands/stream that the PI vines were 2 inches thick running up the trees. I took a loan for $20K to get the land cleared, graded, etc. after spending half that again on a landscape achitect, going through the state and town DEP process.....just to get rid of the PI. Figured I was paying taxes on land I couldn't even enjoy because of the PI. Yes, it took me about 6 years to get it all paid for but is so worth it!

Especially in the spring I make weekly poison ivy rounds with a bucket and a grocery plastic bag liner, plastic disposable gloves, and a 'sponge stick' which is a 9 inch Operating Room instrument that has oval serrated tips on the end. I just tease the little shoots (they are charteuse in color and easily idenitified) out of the soil and into the bucket. I have found a few mixed in the base of some of my shrubs and then I have to protect myself with long sleeve mens white shirts I get at the salvation army....cheap to throw away.

A couple of years ago, I did get a bad dose from working on my border near the forest. Learned from one of the docs I work with to take benadryl and cimetidine tablets (CVS brand works just fine), and also to run the hottest water I could tolerate (luckily it was just on my forearms) for 30 seconds. This causes all the itchy histamine to be released at once (don't scratch!!)and it takes 8 hours to rebuild to scratch level - great to do at bedtime.

Those of us that know the PI story for many years agree that Ivy Dry is still the best to put on the lesions once they erupt. Sadly Ivy Dry must have changed their formula a couple of years ago as while it is still the best, it doesn't seem to work as quickly as it used to. Sigh. And if someone has a really bad case, a Medrol dose pak is usually prescribed - you can see the line up at the CVS!

I keep the Technu bottle next to my Dawn and Lava soap for when I come in from working in the yard You can also get a great bar soap from an art supply store that removes oil paint - ask any artist....the key is to use cool water while washing, never warm or hot as it can spread the oil.....just like if you are putting grease down the drain, they always say use cold water to keep it congelled.

So the laugh for you is the money I spent to get rid of the PI....!

I am in the process of eradicating poison ivy from my yard. It will take a few years, but Ive made significant progress.

I do my removal by wearing plastic bags up my arms, held on with rubber bands. Over that, I wear two layers of latex gloves. (Garden gloves under latex gloves might be an even better idea.) Aside from that I work in long pants, grubby tee-shirt, and old shoes, which would be inadequate if I rolled around in the poison ivy - but I work delicately so as not to have the plant touch any of my clothing. (A previous attempt taught me that the oils will soak through cloth, particularly when sweat is involved.)

I rip the plant from the ground down to the last root, as far as possible. Either my husband follows me around with a trash can, or I leave the whole plant in the woods in a place I know nobody will walk, exposed to the air to die and rot in place. Vines running up trees get snipped with clippers and left to die on the tree. The clippers never get handled with bare hands when used elsewhere in the garden.

I only do this for about half an hour before running for the shower. My husband acts as my spotter, to open doors and help me get my clothes in the wash without touching anything. The shoes live in the garage, and are only used with care for yard-work.

The later in the season, the less potent the poison ivy is; and also the cooler the weather, the less chance I have of producing sweat that could cause the urushiol to soak through my cloths, so I see this as being safest during the autumn. IÂve even pulled the roots by feel after the leaves have all dropped off for the season. (They are shallow, hairy, and brittle.)

I am particularly sensitive to urushiol  mangoes and cashews cause me to break out in a similar rash  so IÂm decidedly not casual about this poison-ivy-killing business. This has been a learning process for me, and I have had a number of rashes to tell me how IÂve made mistakes. My biggest mistakes were these:

Underestimating how nasty poison ivy is. I once stomped a tiny shoot with my shoe, and later handled that shoe bare-handed and then picked my nose. The result was as plain as the nose on my face. :)

Overestimating the effectiveness of latex gloves and plastic bags. A very small tear, combined with a lot of sweat, caused my husband to have some very large rashes.

Letting the torn vines freely touch my clothing. Vines will suddenly lose their grip on the ground and lash at you, so pull carefully. Consider your clothes contaminated from the moment you start pulling, but still pull gently to minimize contact.

Scratching my sweaty skin with my contaminated garden gloves through my clothing. Teamed up with profuse sweat and repeated exposures over the course of an hour, I had one large rash from neck to knees from that mistake. Once your hands are contaminated, do not touch anything but poison ivy plants.

"IÂm already exposed, so I might as well keep going." As soon as I catch myself thinking this, I know it is time to hit the shower.

Not scrubbing enough in the shower. This stuff needs to be ground off the skin as if it were motor oil or oil paint. It doesnÂt help that it is entirely invisible! Scrub until you think you are clean. Then repeat. And maybe repeat again.

Not scrubbing my entire body thoroughly. I got it on the back of my neck once because in the shower, once, I was careful to scrub where I was exposed, but only washed the back of my neck casually before my hands were adequately clean. That casual washing served only to spread the oil to the back of my neck.

It takes about a week for me to develop a rash when I am exposed  but I have discovered that a particularly bad rash will develop sooner. If you start developing a rash within 24 hours, call your doctor.

The rashes donÂt spread by being scratched, because by the time there is a rash, the urushiol has long since soaked in. However, sometimes the itch will precede noticeable blisters, so it may appear that the scratching is causing the rash.

Popping the blisters hurts like hell but seems to make them go away more quickly.

Ice helps keep the itch down. A soak in a very hot shower will cause the itch to intensify  and then go down to a bare minimum for some hours. (A hot hair dryer can also be used to this purpose.)

Before deliberately tangling with poison ivy, stock up with anti-itch remedies, rolls of bandages, and tape.

One last note  if you have never tangled with poison ivy (or poison oak, or poison sumac) before, but are contemplating doing so, or you are contemplating working in an area that you know to be hosting the plant, I suggest two things. First, learn too identify the plant so well that you can spot it even when driving by in a car. (If you can spot it from a car, you are never likely to look down and realize belatedly that you are standing in the stuff.) Also learn to tell the difference between the plant and similar plants that grow in the same habitat. For instance, poison ivy often grown in the company of jack-in-the-pulpit and Virginia creeper, and poison sumac looks a bit like staghorn sumac.

Second, do a test to find out your tolerance level, to know what you are in for when you make a mistake. (And I did say "when", not "if".) To do this, using latex gloves, snap a leaf off of a poison ivy vine. Dab one tiny dot of the sap on the skin of your ankle, or other out-of-the-way spot. Leave the sap to dry. Circle the location with a marker. Keep track of how long it takes a rash to develop, and how big the rash gets.

The last time I tried this was with a pinhead of poison sumac sap. The sap turned black by the second day. It took about half a week for the rash to start to appear, and after about two weeks the rash was at its peak, dense with little bubbles and as big around as a silver dollar.

wow!
My deceased mother seems to be trying to channel through something against picking ones nose (somewhere she is still a mother with advice).

I have it bad in the yard and have had it bad on my skin but I guess not this bad. I confess to using Roundup for this and only this purpose. The poison ivy is now only at the edge of the yard. I do go out in late fall and try and have a go at it. My strategy is to remove all my clothes at the slider on the deck (very private there) and head straight for the shower. I throw all of these clothes out. My partner who is very affected is afraid that the oil will survive the wash.

T'ain't wrong with a bit of nose-picking, so long as you don't do something stupid like me. ;)

I should have put in a note that I've never had a problem with urushiol not coming out in the wash, but I do wash the clothes in hot water and (to be paranoid) I don't wash other clothes in that load.

One other thought about look alike plants growing in with PI. Where you see jewell weed you WILL find PI. So smile the easy cure is right in front of your ehhh... nose...:) Take the leaves, small stems and rub/crush them with your hands then rub on the rash...it will cure it. Take some of the leaves and crush them then freeze them in an ice cube tray with water for when you break out again in the middle of winter. The ice and jewell weed will help.

-Karyn

Ive tried rubbing jewel weed pulp on a poison ivy rash. Aside from feeling a bit cool and gooey, like aloe, it didnt do much. But Ill probably try again next time around, on small rashes, to gather more data. (I wouldnt try it on a big rash, though, not without FDA approval.)

Hi all
Sorry to see and hear poision ivy story. this is like " gabage for one, tresure for other" I can touch poision ivy, clush poision ivy leaf, scrub it on my face, cut stem of poision ivy and put urushioil/toxin to my hand , it won't bother me at all. I am moving to Northshore area of Mass this June . Perhaps I can get into poision ivy removal business.^^
yama

Speaking of poison ivy, we're dealing w/ a dilemma right now so to speak.

Last year we bought one of those canopy gazebos for the yard and an outdoor loveseat plus two club chairs. Its our little sanctuary.

Anyway, one day we're sitting out there when my husband looks past our privacy fence into our neighbors yard. There's a group of trees not too far from our fence and my husband notices that there's an incredibly large poison ivy vine (at least 3 inches in diameter) growing up the trunk of the tree. He follows the vine w/ his eye and quickly realizes that the poison ivy grows right out onto a branch that hangs over our yard...and over this patio area we've just created.

In fact, that large branch itself is dead and we quickly realize the leaves on it AREN'T part of the tree. They're rather impressive poison ivy leaves!

My husband mentioned it to our neighbor. Three times. Asked him to cut the vine. Asked again. Then ultimately offered to go over there and take care of it himself (hubby's become quite a pro at erasing any sign of poison ivy from our yard). The neighbor just keeps saying its his tree and he'll maintain it when he see's fit.

I was just out in the yard this past weekend and, sure enough, the vine is still there. I'm sure it'll sprout in the coming weeks.

Honestly, I'm ready to put on a ski mask, all black and hop in the fence in the dead of night to take care of it myself. Last thing we need is poison ivy leaves fluttering from the skies.

I wouldnt worry too much about it, wubba, unless the vine is hanging where you could accidentally touch it. If it is hanging over your side of the fence and within reach, consider lopping off the branch (preferably before it leaves out or in the fall after it has lost its leaves, to be safe.)

If it is safely out of reach, its the berries youll have to fear more than the leaves, because youll be finding poison ivy seedlings about. That would be a legitimate reason to continue politely badgering your neighbor.

But even if the vine is removed, you are still likely to see seedlings pop up from seeds that have been waiting in the dirt, or that have been carried into your yard by birds from elsewhere, via their flying poop-delivery service. Poison ivy is ubiquitous.

The dried and fallen leaves shouldnt be so dangerous, so long as you handle them with a rake. Last fall I raked the poison sumac leaves into a heap under the sumac tree and left them there to rot, and got no rash in the process.

Perhaps you could entice your neighbor to take care of the vine by suggesting better plants that could go in the same location. Maybe if you buy some sort of flowering vine for your yard and "accidentally" end up with an extra, and offer it to them? Or if you have a chainsaw, offer to stop by and sever the vine at the root? Killing it doesnt have to be a big production; maybe they just dont realize that.

It may help, too, to just accept it as a part of the landscape. In some yards poison ivy is just something that has to be lived with. I expect to be removing it from the gardened portions of my yard until the end of time, but farther back in the wild bits, its going to remain a part of the landscape out of necessity. There is one particular old "mother vine" on the property that really is a joyful part of the landscape. All of the leaves are high up out of reach, the vine is a lovely gnarled thing to look at, and the birds love the berries. I could chainsaw this one, but Im sure the other local vines would still seed my yard, so I might as well keep this one around as an example of the native plants that I love. :)

Yama do be careful. A person can develop a sensitivity to urishiol at any time during their life. And even though the oil doesnt bother you, if you get it on your clothes or tools or car-seat, and then someone else comes into contact with those surfaces, that person will be exposed.

stoloniferous;
Your neighbor sounds like a charm of a guy. If the branch is hanging over your property you can have it removed at the property line in most towns /cities. If you can't and this neighbor is someone you are not friendly with consider a registered letter to his homeowners insurance, or a bill for Doctors costs when one of you get a reaction to it. If it is considered a noxious weed in your area he may have no choice but to have it removed if you contact the local government.
Yeah, I'm that kind of gardener, you have a right to plant what you want as long as it doesn't endanger me or my property.
Chaz

Haha, Hi Chaz! I suppose you meant to address that to wubba? :)

DUH, Yup, was meant for wubba! ;-)
Thanks Stoloniferous!

Just to let everyone know, if they are too afraid of Poison Ivy to deal with it themselves, there is a company in Burlington MA that will come out and kill your Poison Ivy for you. Just happened upon this page, and thought I would share. Thanks.

There's a place in Ayer too. 978-501-5261 Eric from Coopers Poison Ivy Eradication Service. This fellow bought the business from the Coopers. THe Coopers have been to my house twice over the years and did a great job.

Earlier this month I got P.I. rash from a totally different area of my property where it had never been before. I had Eric come down to quote it.

I think with all the rain we had this season, PI has really taken off. Plus, in my case I had some trees removed nearby in the spring, so new light is getting to new places.

I'm trying to figure out how the poster before Wendy does not have a "my page" link after his name. Was that just an ad, and was it inserted by ivillage, or by an actual member, or by some kind of ad service?