I have so much poison ivy growing all throughout my trees and bushes. I tried to get rid of them by pouring vinegar but it didn't work. I have a dog so I don't want to use any harmful chemicals. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get rid of them?
Kayla from NJ
I live on 22 acres in California that had lots of poison oak. My husband sprayed it with Round Up about 5 years ago and only a little has come back. It is easy to respray. It had been growing for at least 20 years since the previous owner had sprayed and was a jungle of poison oak. We have many dogs and cats and Round Up doesn't hurt them. It keeps the sun from reaching the leaves and they die. We use it in our vineyard for weeds too. (04/19/2007)
By rae ann
I think pouring salt on the roots will kill it. (04/20/2007)
By Lily
I am allergic to poison ivy and when I come in from yard work I lather up with tecnu and then shower and have had no problem since. Tecnu was formulated for the loggers in the northwest. Mom used to get a navy blue bar of soap called Neco Soap in the 40s and 50s at our local drug store but I cannot find it any longer. It was really good for anything. (04/20/2007)
By Rasta
Never burn poison ivy to get rid of it. I had a friend that burned a fence row and inhaled the smoke and he about died. It was all over him. The oil from the poison gets in the air and the smoke and really will do you in. (04/20/2007)
By Rasta
Spring is one of the very best and easiest times to rid your land of poison ivy in a safe, environmentally friendly way.
The key is catching the plant when the leaves are new and shiny. Here is an easy formula for killing new poison ivy growth using simple kitchen cupboard ingredients:
Soap has been used for centuries as an all-purpose herbicide.
Note: Buy a liquid soap and not a detergent. Health food stores have liquid soaps, such as Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Soaps.
Soap Spray:
Combine ingredients in a bucket, mix, then transfer to a spray bottle as needed. Note that this recipe will kill neighboring vegetation also, so focus the spray on the poison ivy.
Here is another alternative solution to herbicides: Goats! For some reason, Spanish and Angora goat breeds absolutely love poison ivy. Make sure you get those particular breeds; most others don't like poison ivy for their main meal. I would love to have goats, but my family won't let me.
Here is the homemade poison ivy vegetation killer spray that I've found is safe and effective if you are reading this when the leaves are no longer shiny:
Poison Ivy Vegetation Killer:
Combine the salt and vinegar in a pan and heat to dissolve the salt. Cool the vinegar, add the detergent, and pour some of the liquid into a large spray bottle. Spray the vegetation. (You can also just pour the mixture onto the weeds.) Refill the spray bottle as necessary. Note that this formula will kill all the vegetation, so make sure that you are only spraying the plants you want to kill. If you need to use a lot of this spray, avoid spraying it near wells, as the salt can leach into your water supply. (04/21/2007)
By Sherry
Killing poison ivy - Mix three pounds of salt with a gallon of soapy water and apply to leaves and stems with a sprayer. (04/21/2007)
By Sherry
My Dad always used kerosene on poison ivy. He'd pour it on it and wait a few days to a week, let it die, then take a garden hoe to it. Dig it up and toss away. No need for anything else. He didn't have to worry about us kids getting in to it anymore. (07/26/2007)
By badwater
Get some roundup and spray it over the course of summer. It will kill it. When roundup comes in contact with soil it is detoxified. This is the only reliable way to kill it. Don't burn it as the smoke will carry the urishol. If you get it on your skin use Tecnu lotion. it will wash away the urushiol. Soap is not very effective as the poison binds with skin proteins (07/27/2008)
By Muligant
My granddaughter had poison ivy on her leg. I used a product from miracle2network.com/skywalker called GEL and it dried up in about 2 days. I believe it is a natural way to dry it up, no chemicals or drugs. I also use GEL as a sunscreen. If I use the high number sunscreen, I break out and it is as bad, if not worse, than poison oak. Give it a try, it worked for me. (07/30/2008)
By geO
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