Poison Ivy

[Tony Sade]

I have an elm tree in the back yard, around the base of which there are a number of decoractive annuals. There's a bunch of poison ivy that's taken hold in the area. Do I have to kill the village to save it, or is there a way to selectively treat the p.i. without killing everything in sight? What would you suggest for a treament? Thanks,

[Dave Brandt]

They make a spray just for poison ivy. I believe I got mine at HD. Just spray it on the leaves and the plant will die. If your ivy is as hardy as mine, you may need to spray a couple of times. Just remember, even when the plants dead, you will still get the nasty itches by touching any part of it, including anything that it touched! DAMHIKT Find someone who is not allergic to it and have them remove the dead (but still poisoness remainders!

[Rob Russell]

Tony,

Dave is right that a "dead" PI plant can still affect you. The active ingredient in PI is an oil call "urushiol" - it's that oil that stimulates what the doctors call a "contact dermatitis".

The PI spray you buy is designed to kill PI, but can affect other plants. I pretty carefully spray the leaves on any plants that pop up in our yard.

Once the plants appear to have died, pull them out. They have a vinelike root system, be careful to get the travellers.

I wear a double layer of disposable latex gloves over gardening gloves to guarantee no oil makes it to my gloves.

Throw the plants away in the trash - do NOT burn them. If you burn them and get in the smoke, you can get PI in your eyes and actually inside your throat. That can be really dangerous.

If you suspect that I've had experience with PI - your'e right. Never got in the smoke (luckily), but I had cases so bad when I was a kid that my parents had to soak cheesecloth in a solution from the doctor, wrap my arms and legs in the cheesecloth with plastic wrap over it and I lay in bed like a mummy to dry the reactions out.

Rob