On 2007-05-11, Philip Semanchuk wrote:
In article .com,
wrote:
On May 11, 7:41 am, Bluebee wrote:
Just discovered that my backyard has plenty of poison Ivy growing. This
in the woods that belong to me. What is the best way to kill them?
Googling it, I found its not easy to kill, but there is hope. Has anyone
tried the salt+detergent+vinegar combination with any good results?
I have had good luck with Roundup or most any non-selective weed
killer. The problem is how to prevent the re-growth/sprouting of new
plants.
I'm an organic gardner and I attack poison ivy on my property with
mechanical means only. But a friend of mine recently alerted me to the
practice of cutting the stem of a plant and painting the cut with
Roundup. That minimizes the amount of Roundup that goes where you don't
want it. I was surprised that it was still effective this way but she
said it was.
Bluebee, it is certainly possible to remove by mechanical means, you
just have to get yourself into a biohazard mindset. Once you start
yanking up the ivy, be careful not to scratch an itch on your bare skin,
rub your eyes, or wipe sweat off your brow. That's the thing I find most
difficult to avoid.
For the occassional sprig that crops up I use the grocery bag method.
I use a plastic grocery bag as a glove. You can use a second bag to
collect it, or for the occassional lone one you then just pull the bag
off your hand, and toss it and the ivey in the trash. Grasp it as
closeto the ground as possible and pull gently. Most of the time it is
shallow rooted, but you maybe suprised to find the vine goes under leave
s for several inches or more before you find where it is rooted.
To prevent contaminating gloves I suggest you use sturdy rubber ones
that you wash with soap. If you do get the oil on fabric or leather,
you can vaporize the oil by putting the object in the dryer. Someone
told me boyscouts do this on sleeping bags instead of washing too often.
Good luck
--
Wes Dukes (wdukes.pobox@com) Swap the . and the @ to email me please.
is a garbage address.