Poison ivy is a pioneer species, taking advantage of disturbed locations. There is much more of it around today I think…
Clark, Native Americans actually had their own native treatments for poison ivy. Thus, they historically were as susceptible as the rest of us poor 85 percenters. They survived out in the woods by being smart, and knowing to avoid poison ivy/oak/sumac. Some Native American tribes would even pray to the vine. No truth to the myth that Native Americans somehow have an immunity, or developed an immunity. You’re just part of the 15 percent of the population (like my husband) who are non-reactors. But, non-reactors can develop a sensitivity at any time in their life (which I remind my husband of, any time we’re weeding, even out here in S. California).
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This thread is 9 years old… any updates from folks on safely eliminating poison ivy? I have some coming up on a trail our grandkids use. Have others used salt or bleach as recommended in some of these older posts? I weed whacked it last year, but it’s come back.
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Interesting so am I. My grandmother was full blooded Cherokee.
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Nope
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If it’s just ivy then mowing the leaves or using a weed eater works for me. For all that it grows fast it does not seem to like losing leaves and tends to either die back or stall for weeks. It is not a permanent solution though, although consistent defoliation will keep it contained.
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Skin is the largest organ. I dont go seeking out poison ivy.
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I have started fighting an infestation at our place. I wanted to avoid herbicides, since it’s near a veggie garden. I used 45% vinegar with some orange oil added and it seems to be working. Once it is fully defoliated I go in and cut the limbs and vines back. I’m hoping over time to exhaust it.
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I know there are companies that rent out goats to eat overgrowth and underbrush. Notably poison ivy.
It sounds like you are dealing with a less intense infestation. For something like that I use either a trenching shovel with a long handle or a lightweight garden cutter mattock. I sever the stem of the plant just below the soil line (1/2 to 1 inch down) and it doesn’t grow back.
Many styles of hoe would also work well. If I am dealing with vines that are growing up a tree and aren’t very large in diameter then I use the axe side of the mattock. They almost always die and don’t regrow. Wood chips (containing urushiol) can be produced by the cutting action of the mattock, an axe or a machete, but a chainsaw is the most likely way to get hit with sawdust and cause a skin reaction. Vines growing up trees are the most problematic because they do grow so large, but also because they are the ones mature enough to produce the flowers that turn into seed clusters that birds then eat and spread when they poop.
After I am done cutting I clean whatever tool using a strong liquid dish soap and something to agitate. Urushiol is an oil, and a gentleman on YouTube has a good video demonstrating that the most effective way to keep from having a skin reaction is to use a wash cloth to scrub with a liquid soap. I take it a bit further and use a Scotch Brite pad to fully exfoliate anywhere I might have made contact. As long as I know that I’ve been exposed and I wash this way on the same day I avoid any issues. I will selectively wear pants when attacking the plants growing on the ground if they are too numerous to avoid touching by accident, but pants aren’t an end all be all. Wearing pants and cutting vines with a chainsaw led to the fabric being so impregnated that, even after being laundered, a subsequent wearing of the clean pants weeks later transmitted enough urushiol onto my thigh that I had a subdued reaction at that point. I soaked the pants in hot water mixed with liquid soap to strip out the oil, laundered like normal and never had a problem with them after that.
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I can personally vouch for the efficiency of goats. We rented 5 and they cleared about 1/4 acre in a little over a week.
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If it is confined to a path, I would throw a piece of carpet or thick pressboard over it. Then a bit of mulch for aesthetics.