Gasoline and lawn care?

Question

I have poison ivy (along with other freaking weeds) in my backyard. I have tried every weed killer known to mankind. It did not work.

I have decided (assuming no opposition) to dumping gasoline all over this ****. It will surely kill everything that I want to die. I have a river flowing through my backyard and do not want any ill environmental effects - what do I need to do to keep my gasoline killing spree from the groundwater system?

To respond to some responses, yes, it is a backyard that is mowed regularly. However, there is an area with a large back deck, and a series of about 12 planter boxes where I obviously cannot mow that I am having the trouble with.

ragnarok, would you kindly state the law that says it is illegal?

Answer 1

The most effective way to remove poison ivy is to use an active ingredient called TRICLOPYR, which can be found in several products such as "Brush-B-Gone" or "Brush-Killer" at most of your local hardware stores. It was made specifically to control hard-to-kill plants and I've found it most effective in removing poison oak, blackberries, English Ivy, etc.

I'd recommend you use a pump sprayer to apply the mixture and make sure you get complete coverage of the entire plant. Using a hose-end sprayer would probably apply too much of the mixture and you'll end up with some of the run-off into your stream.

Triclopyr works very similar to Roundup but it controls ONLY your broad-leaved plants (such as poison ivy). You can use the product to control dandelions, clover, spurge, etc in your lawn and it can be mixed with "Weed-B-Gone" to enhance its performance.

You should start to see the poison ivy begin to die within a couple of weeks after application. In the Spring, look for regrowth or new seedlings and then spray them again.

Make sure you protect your ornamental plants from any of the spray and not to spray when it's windy...otherwise you'll kill your ornamental plants, vegetables and trees. Make sure you read the label before spraying.

Hope this was of some help to you. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

The gasoline idea won't work, you would have to use so much and it's too expensive, (reason being , gasoline will evaporate quicker than it could kill anything tough. Here's where you messed up, you didn't cut your lawn area often enough! You say it's not a lawn, it's a weed& Ivy patch, well thats what you get for not keeping it down with your mower.. You see poison ivy, and most weeds won't bat an eye if you cut them down 2 or 3 times even if you did it once a month, they come back. But if you mow that area down, drop your wheels and scalp it you've got 1/2 the battle won. Now keep the area short by cutting that area every 5-days, keep that stuff scalped. After 10-12 scalpings you will notice that the junk plants are gone and all thats left is turf. Now you can throw a little weed and feed or some fertilizer on the backyard area, water it in well, and shazam you're finished! Note: You may take your wheels up a little now, but keep that turf mowed weekly wether it needs it or not, and use a grass catcher, it picks up the seeds and other crap that causes your turf to go crazy. You can mow down all that stuff a time or two, and it comes back almost better, but if you scalp it over & over thay can't handle it and they die everytime!

Answer 3

Don't do it, it's about as illegal as you can get in your lawn.

It will get into the groundwater, and the river water.

Hold on, there is a weed killer called "total vegetation killer". That is the product name, I don't remember, but it may be ortho or greenlight. Nothing can survive it.

Check with your hardware stores. It is extremely rare for poison ivy not to die with regular weed killer. Maybe you have a special situation.

Maybe it requires special application or something.

Answer 4

I agree, don't use gasoline, for your safety as well as the environment. I believe the DNR can give you the law about gas.
Although gas will kill it. Use a brush killer from HD or a garden center.

Answer 5

Try a tree and brush killer, posion ivy and oak don't respond to weed killers.