Spring Gardening News Distributed 02/22/08
Poison ivy is a year-round problem in Louisiana. It gets us in the spring and summer when it’s out in full glory but also in the winter when we spend so much outside once the days cool off.
Because the vine is deciduous (drops its leaves in winter), you can unwittingly yank up a handful of bare vine and end up with every inch of bare skin covered with the itchiest, ugliest rash ever seen.
Identification of poison ivy is really simple if you learn the little verse that goes with it, according to LSU AgCenter Northwest Region horticulture agent Denyse Cummins. The verse is, “Leaves of three, leave it be.”
The horticulturist notes, however, that people often confuse poison ivy with Virginia creeper, another deciduous vine that’s common in the state. The main difference between the two shade-loving, tree-climbing vines is that the nonpoisonous Virginia creeper has five leaves, not three.
The bare vine of poison ivy also can be distinguished, even without the leaves. Poison ivy vines are covered with little root hairs that help it cling to trees. The nonpoisonous creeper just has a little bit of root here and there, not covering the whole stem like poison ivy. Old, mature poison ivy vines can be as big around as your wrist, have huge leaves and produce flowers and berries (birds love them), but they still have those “leaves of three.”
Poison oak looks like poison ivy except that the ends of the leaves are rounded instead of pointed. The awful skin inflammation is the same, however. Avoid it, too.
“There’s always some smart aleck in every group of woods-trampers who swears that they aren’t allergic to poison ivy,” Cummins says, adding, “My advice is: Don’t touch it anyway!”
People become sensitized to allergic materials with repeated contact. If the smart aleck doesn’t get the rash now, he probably will become sensitive in the future.
“Complete avoidance is the ticket,” Cummins says.
The easiest way to kill poison ivy is to cut it off at the ground and paint the poison ivy stump with full strength triclopyr, an herbicide. Painting the stump removes the risk of accidentally spraying triclopyr on your valuable tree. Herbicides kill anything you spray them on.
Another method of eradication is the repeated use of an herbicide like Roundup or a brush killer containing triclopyr. Be careful when spraying around garden plants.
If the dreaded ivy is growing into an azalea, you are, unfortunately, going to have to pull it out by hand. Choose a cool day because you should dress head to toe in long sleeves and pants and wear disposable plastic gloves and rubber boots.
Tape your sleeve wrists to the gloves to be sure no skin is exposed. If you accidentally touch the poison ivy with bare skin (including your face and neck) stop and wash the area with water.
When you’ve grubbed out every piece of the vine and sealed it in a plastic trash bag, go directly to the trash can and strip off your gloves, then to the water hose to wash off your boots. Next, go to the washing machine and take off your clothes. Finally, head for the shower.
All parts of the poison ivy plant contain the oil urushiol, which causes the rash. If clothing is not disposed of or washed well, the oil will be waiting for you the next time you touch those clothes.
What to do with the vines you’ve pulled? Send them to the landfill, where they will wait like a toxic time bomb till the end of time. Whatever you do, don’t burn them, even if burning is still legal in your neck of the woods. Smoke can carry the tiny droplets of oil.
“Don’t even let your nonallergic smart-aleck friend burn the vines,” Cummins warns, explaining, “Inhalation of poison ivy smoke can be fatal.”
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On the Internet: LSU AgCenter: www.lsuagcenter.com
Contact: Denyse Cummins (318) 698-0010 or DCummins@agcenter.lsu.edu
Editor: Mark Claesgens (225) 578-2939 or mclaesgens@agcenter.lsu.edu