Poison Ivy

[V98]

I’m going to start clearing some underbrush in a wooded area by my home.

Is there something I can spray indiscriminately to kill poison ivy?

Don’t want to harm the mature oaks and other trees.

Don’t want to harm the deer, turkey or other critters either (except coyotes or feral hogs ).

Thanks in advance for any expert advice!

 

[SoonerP226]

I’m told the best way to get rid of poison ivy is to wait until it’s dormant and physically remove the vines in the winter. Just make sure you wear thick rubber gloves and long sleeves and tape the cuffs to the sleeves. And don’t burn it—that just vaporizes the oil and gets its everywhere the smoke goes.

I’ve used the Poison Ivy Killer (from Ortho, I think, but maybe from Roundup) with limited success. It’s supposed to work best if you can paint it on the plant instead of spraying it—if you use it undiluted, it’s even supposed to cause tree stumps to break down. I mixed it a mite stronger than directed and sprayed it on the foliage and had some temporary success, but that evil sh*t still came back the next year.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

You can spray it, but you need to include a surfactant. The oily leaves shed water, but a surfactant offsets the surface tension and allows the two to mesh. We always used a little cheap baby shampoo instead of paying for what Atwood's sells as surfactant. Works as it should. But if it's just a little ivy, digging it up is easy. It doesn't root deep.

The spray only works if it's actively growing. I'd be surprised if it wasn't too late with this weather.

 

[V98]

I’ve read a little soap and some vinegar but I’m leery of what that might do to the trees. I’ve also heard saltwater and soap.

 

[V98]

I’m told the best way to get rid of poison ivy is to wait until it’s dormant and physically remove the vines in the winter. Just make sure you wear thick rubber gloves and long sleeves and tape the cuffs to the sleeves. And don’t burn it—that just vaporizes the oil and gets its everywhere the smoke goes.

I’ve used the Poison Ivy Killer (from Ortho, I think, but maybe from Roundup) with limited success. It’s supposed to work best if you can paint it on the plant instead of spraying it—if you use it undiluted, it’s even supposed to cause tree stumps to break down. I mixed it a mite stronger than directed and sprayed it on the foliage and had some temporary success, but that evil sh*t still came back the next year.

I’m afraid this is going to be the best route though I hate messing with that stuff!

 

[RETOKSQUID]

Know anyone with goats?

 

[V98]

Know anyone with goats?

My wife actually wants goats! I told her she doesn’t need them. She’s married to THE goat!

 

[SoonerP226]

Know anyone with goats?

Supposedly, drinking the milk from goats that have eaten poison ivy will help you not have an allergic reaction to the poison ivy oils. Can’t say I’ve ever tried that, though.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

Know anyone with goats?

My wife actually wants goats! I told her she doesn’t need them. She’s married to THE goat!

You know, if you have the space, goats will eat it. We turned two dozen loose in our poison ivy-filled shineries. Cleared 30 acres chest-high in about four months.

 

[dennishoddy]

You can spray it, but you need to include a surfactant. The oily leaves shed water, but a surfactant offsets the surface tension and allows the two to mesh. We always used a little cheap baby shampoo instead of paying for what Atwood's sells as surfactant. Works as it should. But if it's just a little ivy, digging it up is easy. It doesn't root deep.

The spray only works if it's actively growing. I'd be surprised if it wasn't too late with this weather.

Exactly. The surfactant is a must do as the waxy leaves will just have spots on them from the spray most of the time with no kill.
Dawn dish soap is another agent to make wetter water.
BTW, store bought roundup no longer contains glyphosate. I bought a gallon yesterday at Lowes and looked at the contents when getting home. It was not in the list, but I also buy by the 2.5 gallon of the real stuff for serious work.