How to get rid of the poison oak/ivy plant in yard?

Question

Is there anything I can plant over top of the poison oak and poison ivy plant to drown it out? Or do I just have to use a weed killer chemical? I'm trying to avoid killing some seedlings I planted nearby.

Answer 1

Use Weed-Be-Gone or Brush Killer. (Buy it at a big box garden center.) But do not spray it on the poison ivy. Just cut the stem near ground level, and apply a drop or two of Brush Killer straight from the bottle onto the cut. If it is a big stem, apply enough Brush Killer to ring the cut with the herbicide. The fresh cut will take up the chemical and the roots will die. If the stem is growing up a tree, be careful not to get any herbicide on the tree trunk. This method is much more focused on the noxious weed than spraying, and should not affect your desireable seedlings. Wear plastic gloves to avoid a poison ivy rash and, more importantly, to avoid skin contact with undiluted Brush Killer.

Answer 2

Weed-Be-Gon kill poison ivy and poison oak as well as many other weeds. The trick to using it is to wait until there has been no rain for a while and the poison ivy plant is good and thirsty, then to follow up immediately with a lot of water so that the plants drinks it up into the roots. Weed-Be-Gon comes premixed or in full strength. If the poison ivy is big and established, I would mix up a stronger solution of Weed-Be-Gon than is used on dandelions and other weeds, and not use the premixed.

Answer 3

OK, after you have followed the above recommendations for killing off the poinson ivy and/or oak, you also asked about planting something to "drown it out".

I think you need to try to kill it off first, but to keep it out in the future, I would plant Virginia creeper (aka woodbine). It looks similar, has similar habitat requirements, but doesn't generally cause the same problems. It has leaves of five instead of three and has great fall color.

It may help keep the poison ivy from taking back over.

English Ivy might work also, although I personally hate the stuff because it is so agressive.

Good luck.

Answer 4

DON'T BURN IT!!! When burned, inhalation of the smoke causes diarrhea and other internal irritations. I don't think your neighbor hood would like that. lol I would suggest calling poison control or a local gardening agency...they would be more ...umm can't think of the word so I'll use capable to get rid of it if not the wear a long sleeved shirt and long pants and boots and like kitchen gloves and dig it out...then you should put it in a large black trashbag then in a paper yard clippings bag and have it pick up on large trash pick-up day and if they don't have that then take it to the dump. hope I've helped you!

Answer 5

I had he same problem. Use Clorox mixed 1 to 1 and apply it liberally to leaves and stem using a cheap throw away paint brush. Diesel fuel mixed with salt works also, messy and stinks. 1 c to 1/2 gal is solution.

Answer 6

Recognize poison ivy. It's a vine with groups of 3 pointy leaves, the middle leaf has a longer stem than the two on the side. It sends runners under the ground and can climb up into trees. It can grow just about anywhere.

Use a glyphosphate-based herbicide to kill the plants, such as Roundup. Mix Roundup Concentrate herbicide with water, 3 times normal strength. (Don't use ready-mixed Roundup, it's not strong enough for poison ivy.)

Put it in a sprayer, like an empty window cleaner sprayer. Read instructions on the Roundup label. Label the sprayer and keep it for only this purpose, in a safe place.

On a day that is not windy or about to rain, spray thoroughly to coat all poison ivy leaves with the solution. Try not to get solution on the plants you like, they will die.

Plants take the herbicide in through their leaves, then the plant dies. The poison ivy should turn yellow and die in a couple of weeks.

Dig down into the soil at least 8 inches and remove all of the roots to help prevent future regrowth.

Check the area several times a year for several years, because where there's poison ivy there's probably more you haven't seen yet. Poison ivy is very persistent.

*Tips

Mark the spot where you found the poison ivy with something like a bamboo stick. This will help you check in the future.
Herbicide works best on poison ivy that has already formed berries.

Goats are voracious consumers of poison oak and ivy. If you can gain access to one, hire one to remove your poison ivy naturally. Nurseries or the agricultural extension office can point you in the direction of goats for hire. Remember that even if you use this method, you will still have to dig out the roots.

Teach your kids to recognize poison ivy plants so they can avoid it.

Contact your local agricultural extension office for the best method to remove poison ivy in your area.

*Methods for Getting Rid of Poison Oak

Getting rid of poison oak manually.

Applying herbicides to the cut stumps of poison oak.
Applying herbicides to the leaves of poison oak.
You should obviously try to have as little of your skin exposed as possible when getting rid of poison oak, since it is through physical contact with the plant (any part of the plant!) that the rash is contracted. At the very least, this means wearing gloves, long-sleeved shirt and full-length pants.

The object in trying to get rid of poison oak manually is to pull it out by the roots. The roots must be disposed of; do not burn! Inhaling fumes from burning poison oak causes far greater health problems than just the rash caused by skin contact. Another manual method for getting rid of poison oak (if it is growing on the ground, rather than in trees) is to smother it. Smothering entails cutting it back close to the ground, then placing newspapers, cardboard, old carpeting, tarps, mulch or some other covering on top of it. However, be aware that, even after they are killed, the plants remain toxic.

So be careful in disposing of the roots of the dead plants after pulling back the smothering agent (even if you've waited for years). Manual eradication may have to be repeated. Note that manual methods may be practiced at any time of the year (except during winter in the North, when the ground is frozen), whereas methods involving herbicides are best employed during the height of the growing season.

Examples of herbicides that may be used for killing poison oak are glyphosate (e.g., the Roundup brand) and triclopyr (e.g., the Ortho brand).

Wielding your trusty pruners and a can of herbicide, you can apply the herbicide to the cut stumps of poison oak while the plant is actively growing. Cut the stem an inch or two above the ground and apply the herbicide right away. The fresh wound will drink in the herbicide, transporting it deep inside where it can do its damage.

Applying herbicides to the leaves of poison oak is most effective during the flowering stage (with triclopyr) or fruiting stage (with glyphosate). Such "foliar spraying" will have to be repeated until the poison oak is fully eradicated. Here's how to spray:

You'll need a tank sprayer; mix the product with water, according to directions.

Pick a day with little or no wind for spraying. Also, check your forecast: don't spray if rain is predicted at any time within the next 24 hours.

For poison oak growing on the ground or on a wall, heavily spray the leaves and vines.

For poison oak climbing up a tree, you may wish to "paint" the herbicide on, so as to preclude damaging the tree with a stray mist from your sprayer.


**Warnings

Never burn poison ivy. The smoke from burning poison ivy will cause the same reaction in your lungs that normally happens on the skin. Reactions to this kind of exposure are far more serious than those resulting from topical contact.
Remember that even the bare twigs and branches of these plants are toxic during the dormant season.
Glyphosphate is a nonselective herbicide and will kill any plant that it comes in contact with. Keep it away from your landscape plants.

Hope This Helps :)

Answer 7

Goats work great, they will eat it like it's nothing! You can rent one in some areas.

DO NOT BURN IT! The smoke will blister everyone's lungs.

Answer 8

Round up is all I have used and it works well.

Answer 9

light a match and run-boom!