8 Tips for Getting Rid of Poison Ivy on Your Property

Our gardens and yards may have some plants like Poison ivy that can cause an allergic reaction or skin irritation. Getting rid of poison ivy plants can be tricky as well as dangerous. Poison ivy is not poisonous but even minor contact with its leaves can cause an itchy and aching rash on the skin. The leaves, roots and stems of Poison ivy have urushiol which is sticky oil. When our skin comes in contact with the leaves or stems, urushiol is left behind on the skin which can cause a skin rash.

Our gardens and yards may have some plants like Poison ivy that can cause an allergic reaction or skin irritation. Getting rid of poison ivy plants can be tricky as well as dangerous. Poison ivy is not poisonous but even minor contact with its leaves can cause an itchy and aching rash on the skin. The leaves, roots and stems of Poison ivy have urushiol which is sticky oil. When our skin comes in contact with the leaves or stems, urushiol is left behind on the skin which can cause a skin rash.

Identify Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy is a sneaky plant and you are at risk of picking up the urushiol without realizing that you have touched the Poison ivy plant. This plant can be distinguished by compound leaves as each leaf is made of three leaflets. The middle leaflet has a longer stem than the two side leaflets. Leaves of poison ivy are green in colour and are two to four inches long.

Younger plants have reddish and droopy leaves, while mature ones have smooth and glossy or dull leaves. These leaves turn bright red and yellow in the fall and the edges of these leaves are normally notched.

Small yellow flowers bloom close to the vine of poison ivy in the spring. Later on, in the summer, these flowers are replaced by light green, grey or white berries. The stems of this plant are thornless. These stems can root where they can make contact with the ground. This makes it incredibly difficult to kill the plant as pieces of the stems and roots can grow into new plants.

Remove Poison ivy in ideal conditions

In winter, poison ivy is leafless and this makes the removal process slightly easier. Always wear protective clothing like long sleeves, pants, gloves and boots while removing the poison ivy. Although the plant is leafless, urushiol may be present in its stems and branches. Also, don't forget to protect your eyes with protective eyewear.

Make sure that you are fully covered and this includes your face too. Sometimes wind can blow the toxins onto exposed areas like the face and cause poison ivy rash. Never go for poison ivy removal without proper clothing, ideal weather conditions and appropriate tools.

Choose the Right Herbicide

If you plan on using a herbicide in your yard or garden, you need to choose an appropriate herbicide which contains glyphosate. According to expert horticulturists, glyphosate can penetrate poison ivy and kill it from the inside out. Even though using a herbicide may look like a faster and easier solution, it requires repeat applications. As these herbicides are sprayed only on the leaves and stem, the healthy roots of poison ivy remain alive deep in the soil. This means that the plant may pop right back after some days.

Spraying herbicide on the roots is not advised as it introduces heavy chemicals deep into the soil. This impacts the soil’s health and harms the other plants in the yard or garden. Herbicides can also hinder the growth of any plants in that particular spot and may ruin other harmless plants. Additionally, one has to take care not to use the products around pets and children.

Attack the Roots

Poison ivy has a complicated root system and hence, it’s important to get rid of the roots of these plants. Pulling poison ivy plants out by their roots is an effective and quicker way for smaller plants. Larger roots may require digging and you need to wear protective gear before doing so. You can kill the poison ivy plant by three other methods including −

Homemade Weed Killer

You can make weed killer spray and kill poison ivy over time. Take one cup of salt, one tablespoon of dish soap and one tablespoon of vinegar. Now mix them into a gallon of water to make do-it-yourself weed killer spray. Use it on poison ivy plants periodically. However, it may only kill the leaves and stems by leaving the roots intact.

Boiled Water

Boil water in a kettle and pour that water carefully over the plants to drown the roots. You can repeat this process to kill the roots over time and eventually, the plant will be killed.

Smother Method

Place a plastic tarp or cardboard over the area after pulling the poison ivy plant out of the ground. Secure the tarp or cardboard to smother the plants to prevent further growth of the plant. This method may work for small poison ivy plants, but still, some roots may remain inside the ground. Hence, the plant may still sprout.

Use the Right Tools

You can use a sharp trowel or a shovel to remove poison ivy roots. Also, shears or pruners can remove the vines and branches of the plant. Never use a mower or a weedwhacker as mowing or weed whacking can spread every part of the plant further across the yard or garden. This may pose a safety risk to other plants.

Dispose of the Plant Properly

Poison ivy plants should not be burned as the vapours can carry urushiol through the air and cause unsafe inflammation of the airway. When the leaves are burnt, they release chemicals that can bother the eyes, nose and lungs. Hence, the disposal of poison ivy should be done appropriately, no matter what method is chosen to kill the plant. You should put all the poison ivy leaves and branches in heavy-duty plastic bags to dispose of the plant.

Wash Up Thoroughly

Once the plant is removed, bagged up and disposed of, use a degreaser or rub alcohol or vinegar to wash the gardening tools. Wash these gardening tools while still wearing gloves and by rubbing alcohol and vinegar to remove the urushiol on them. After that, remove the clothes carefully and put them in the laundry separate from other clothing.

Turn the clothes inside out and then wash them in the washing machine. Rinse your boots with soapy water and hose them off. Throw the gloves away and avoid their reuse. Take an extra soapy shower with water and don't forget to scrub your skin to avoid skin irritation.

Taking the Help of Goats

Goats can eat poison ivy without getting a rash or developing health problems. Goats have been used for many years to clear invasive plant species on large fields. Additionally, many goat rental companies can fence off the area which needs to be cleared and lets the goats loose to eat their fill until the poison ivy plants are gone.

However, there are two risk factors with this strategy. Urushiol may pass from the hair of goats to your skin and hence, one must avoid touching any animals grazing on poison ivy.

Moreover, goats only eat the leaves and stems and not the roots. This can make the plant sprout again and you may have to call for goat-grazing services repeatedly.

Conclusion

Getting rid of poison ivy plants can be worrisome. You need to have the right tools and safety equipment to get the job done properly and without getting poison ivy rash. Ensure to completely cover yourself while removing poison ivy plants and dispose of them carefully so that they don't cause any trouble.