Poison ivy everywhere

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on July 02, 2009 at 8:55 AM, updated July 02, 2009 at 9:06 AM
Poison ivy... leaves of three, let it be.
Q: We live in a wooded area that's loaded with poison ivy and getting worse. I tried to remove some of it last summer and got it really bad. My one eye was swollen shut. How do you recommend removing it?

A: The best defense is a good offense -- getting it out early before it has a chance to seed and spread.

Poison ivy's key weapon is a potent oil called urushiol, which causes an annoying to dreadfully painful skin rash in an estimated 85 percent of people who come into contact with it. Be aware that you can react to this oil even when the plant is dead or when it's dormant and leafless in winter.

One of the worst things you can do is try to mow it down or weed-whack it. That only throws the oil around, making it more likely you'll get it on your skin. Even burning it has caused horrible lung irritations in people who breathed in the oil-laced smoke.

The most important first step is knowing the enemy. Poison ivy leaves grow in clusters of three with the middle leaf being slightly bigger than the two on either side. The leaves start out reddish in spring, then become a shiny green in summer before turning various attractive shades of red, orange and yellow in fall. Small, waxy white berries also form in late summer and turn red in fall.

The vines suck onto trees or other nearby climbing surfaces, but if there's nothing to grab onto, they'll grow into a floppy shrub. As the vines age, the stems become woody and put out distinctive "hairy" root growths.

Pulling and/or spraying a glysophate herbicide is the best way to get an ivy outbreak under control. It'll take some perseverance, but you'll win.

Cover up really well and try to yank out all parts of the plant. So long as you keep the oil off your skin, you won't react. Or hire, cajole or bribe someone else who's less urushiol-sensitive to do the deed.

If you go the spray route, glyphosate-containing weed-killers such as Round-Up, Kleen-Up and Brush-B-Gon usually kill the plants -- roots and all. Sometimes it takes a repeat spray after the first one weakens a tough stand. Just be careful using these herbicides around "good" plants because they'll kill most anything green.

Keep in mind that direct contact isn't the only way you can get a rash. The oil is easily transferred from plants to objects to people - including tools, clothing, shoe bottoms, even stray baseballs and soccer balls retrieved from the weedy area.

Protective creams such as Ivy Block, Tecnu, Multi-Shield and Buji Block also help protect your skin while ivy-fighting.

If you come into contact with poison ivy, wash ASAP with lots of plain, cold water. You'll usually head off a rash if you can wash within 15 minutes. Also wash clothing and other objects so you don't pick up an indirect reaction later.

The best book I've seen on dealing with poison ivy is "10 Things to Know About Poison Ivy, Pets and People" by Heidi Ratner-Connolly and Randy Connolly (2Lakes Publishing, 2004, $9.95 paperback). It's available in bookstores, through online booksellers or directly from