PI can be very nasty. The absolutely best way to get rid of it is to find someone who isn't allergic, and have them deal with it. Are you sure it isn't Virginia Creeper? I often see that mixed with the english ivy around here, but not the PI.

I have gotten rid of PI by digging the roots, and EI by pulling the vines, and getting the roots in the process. I would try to dig out the PI first, and then pull the EI. It is prudent to wear long sleeves long pants, hat and gloves when removing PI. I put my hand in a plastic bag, up over my arm. Then pulling the PI with my gloved/plastic'd hand, and pull the bag down over the ivy. Tie up the bag and trash immediately. Try not to touch anything, place clothing in washer immediately, and take a shower. Wash all tools. Do not burn PI, as the smoke will carry the allergen.

If you aren't sure how allergic you are, you may want to try a very small test. My boys can have it brush their legs, and as long as they wash within several hours, they are OK. My brother and mother can get it from 10 feet away, or at least seems that way.

If you do get PI, treat it right away. And don't hesitate to see the doctor if it doesn't respond to OTC quickly.

I heard goats are effective for knocking down the ivies.

That is one weed that I will use Round-up for.

The last time I got the PI itchies my feet and legs broke out and it was darn near unbearable! I'm super allegergic. When I healed up I put my gardening shoes on to get back to work, careful that there was no more PI anywhere. That night I broke out again. It was in my shoes! I had to throw my best work shoes in the dumper. Drat!

I find Brush-B-Gone much more effective than Roundup for poison ivy. There are times when one just must resort to chemicals to get rid of noxious weeds.

Mulchwoman,

Poison Ivy (PI) is a real pain to deal with (been there done that, still doing it!), twenty years later (birds love the seeds and spread them around with organic fertilizer).

Some effective controls include: white vinegar (younger plants), Round-up (for vines smaller than a pencil), and Brush Be Gone (for vines larger than a pencil). The hairy vines are always capable of causing the rash (even in the middle of winter).

PI rash is caused by Urioshol (an oil secreted by the plant-a natural defense against browsing (it si also spread by family pets coming into contact with leaves/oil). Urioshol can be removed from the skin with hot water and (old fashioned) brown soap (I use Kirkman's); Technu ( a commercial product) is also very effective at drying up the oil (dry skin results) and ameliorating the severity of a rash (if there is no broken skin from scratching). If a rash is bad, or has been scratched too much, or has resulted in broken skin (from scratching), call your MD!

Control of PI plants takes time, patience, and diligence. It is an annual chore for me, I use Round Up, one or two times a year(the really big vines are gone)only the smaller ones (and seedlings remain)(everyone in my family gets the rash, if exposed to the oil- - - so I work at it and bend the Organic/IPM guidelines.

Dad

I have heard that if you snip the ends off of several vines and leave the cut ends immersed in Round Up for several weeks, it will kill the whole plant.

Also, ask at the drugstore or garden center for a cream that you can put on before handling PI. It helps block the urushiol from being absorbed by the skin. Sorry I don't have a brand name for you.

Good luck.

You can get an envelope sealer bottle (with a sponge on the end) from an office supply store, and fill it with your weed killer of choice. That way you can dab it on the right leaves.

Or you can just spray - I spray poison ivy growing in the Virginia creeper, figuring that I won't kill much Virginia creeper. It works out. For poison ivy I use a higher concentration of Roundup than recommended on the bottle. maybe double.

Ive got one for you. My sister and I have been doing some cleaning up around a home of my deceased parents. There is this vine of poison that is everybit of 2inches thick or more. It has grown up the side of this huge tree and wound itself around a lot of the branches. This vine has these orange looking growths around it all the way up , maybe spores. Anyway I thought I would douse it in roundup I think it just laughed at me. So just the other day I went back and cut a 6inch section out of the vine and immediately washed my arms and hands good even thou I was wearing gloves and I still got a touch of the poison. There is still a length of this vine about 4ft long, any suggestions on how to handle the rest and get rid of it completely, safely.

The orangy growths are probably fungus - maybe it is a sick vine. Are you sure it is poison ivy, with hairy roots coming out of the vine and clinging to the trunk? Grape vine hangs rather than clings and has bark flaking off in strips and I've seen the orange fungus on grape vine. Is it alive - can you see leaves on it? Anyway, the vine won't spore from the orange stuff - PI has berries with seeds.

If you cut the vine and soak the cut end with full strength Roundup concentrate or BrushBGon, that should do the trick - or at least weaken the vine - it might take a few goes.

I definately have poison on my right arm that did the cutting, yes it has leaves for a couple days later when I went back I saw the leaves of it up in tree drooping. It is some kind of poison, wether it be ivy oak or whaterver Ive had poison ivy before and I have it again.

hiya,

When we moved to our house 2 years ago there was a PI vine about 30-40 feet up in a Catalpa tree. At that time, the BF thought he was non - allergenic. We did what you did, hummersteve, cut a chunk out and soaked several times with Brush be Gone. (clean the saw) Took a couple of weeks to kill it.
Let me say I am organic as far as I can take it, but I am one of the ones that can PI from 10 feet away and it lasts for weeks on me. So the PI gets chemical poison.
After the BF got PI, we bought long red rubber gloves, elbow length, from Lee Valley and the neighbors love it when he goes PI hunting. I wipe them with Technu and then launder, so far no carry over. I am very careful. I also broke down and bought the $40 Zanfel. It works. I could not afford to be non-functional for that long.
Now we have seedlings every spring, but no where near the same problem.

After the vine is dead  make sure to clean up all the leaves - bag them and throw them out.
"1 to 5 years is normal for urushiol oil to stay active on any surface including dead plants" Link below has great info. Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Poison Ivy, Oak and Sumac Information Center

Steve, I don't doubt you have a poison ivy rash but I was wondering if you got it from that plant - it does have roots the whole length of the vine and is clinging to the trunk, not hanging free? And three leaflets to each leaf?

Poison sumac and poison oak are shrubs not vines so if it's poison something it's poison ivy. Virginia creeper has five leaflets. Regular English ivy has the roots the whole lenght as well but not divided leaflets. Grape hangs free.

I used to get the most appalling running oozing massive sores from poison ivy - they lasted a month and they flashed red with each pulse and even left scars, but since I started treating the first sign with cortisone cream, it never progresses to that stage.

#1 Brush B Gone. Set on mist and hit just the PI.
#2 For big vines, drill w/ cordless drill, spray into the opening.
#3 Call for a few estimates from local landscapers. Make sure they clear and remove. Really NOT as costly as you may think.

No matter which option you choose, you will need Brush B Gone by the pint and refill your own, you will be doing this for a few years.