Poison Ivy Removal - Total, Complete ?

[(PeteCresswell)]

viz:

I want to store a kayak on that spot. It's higher than the beach by several feet and therefore less susceptible to storm action.

I'm hyper-sensitive to poison ivy, so I need to clear that spot out in such a way that working there (as in burying a dry-land "Anchor", placing the support blocks for the kayak, and repeatedly placing/retrieving the kayak won't leave me with poison ivy.

This is coastal Southern New Jersey - where poison ivy *really* thrives... I can think of whole areas that seem to be held together by the stuff.

That's a hotel in the background so burning is probably not an option - although if somebody says liberal application of a flame weeder will do the trick that might be doable.

This does not have to happen tomorrow, or next week, or even next month. Storm season is coming and it's probably best to wait until next spring to actually place the kayak.

Meanwhile, I'd like to kill that poison ivy, have it stay killed, and not get a case of the stuff preparing/using the site.

Short-term, there's no need for any vegetation at all to survive in that area.

Long term, I'd try to plant it with beach grass and fertilize it hoping to maintain a poison ivy-free/erosion-free zone.

Anybody have a plan?

[Don Y]

I think the only "high probability of success" is likely to be replacing the "soil" with something in which plants can't grow. E.g., some asphalt, concrete, etc.

Even deploying herbicides will probably only be a temporary measure. Sands "move" during storms and nominal beach activity. So, any treated "soil" will eventually move or be overblown.

You might also encounter some regulatory issues trying to deploy certain strong chemicals on the beachfront (assuming you even have the "right" to modify the property).

[Dan Espen]

I really don't see any poison ivy there. Is that stuff near the back all poison ivy?

Can't see anything there.

Can you mow that? Looks like a beach. I don't think you can do much with that at all. Set up some saw horses, put kayak on top? Wear shoes, socks, long pants and you'll be fine.

[RedAlt5]

On Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at 7:45:25 PM UTC-5, (PeteCresswell) wrote: >

I don't see definite poison ivy in the pics, but if so I also don't see a good resolution. It takes multiple applications of herbicide to kill it and you would also be killing the grasses, and that's illegal on many shores because grasses control erosion.

Also remember to avoid any poison ivy area during or after a rain. The oils wash off the plant and float on any standing water. I learned that from experience when fishing near a creek bank and sticking my hand in the water.

[gfretwell]

Ortho Brush B Gone will whack the poison ivy and a lot of grasses are pretty much immune to it. I would just put some in a spray bottle and test a small patch. I know the Cogan grass here (an invasive exotic) just laughs at BB gone. All of the leafy stuff dies. I target air potato, Brazilian pepper and carrot wood trees with it.

Be very careful with any burning. The smoke is poison

[Danny D.]

RedAlt5 wrote, on Wed, 16 Sep 2015 19:29:12 -0700:

This is an interesting observation, because urushiol is not really an "oil" in the strict sense of the word.

The urushiol is (sort of) an alcohol (specifically a catechol, which is a diol of benzene, which is simply benzene with two OH groups) suspended in an oily sap (a plant oleoresin).

The catechol alone is actually rapidly soluble in water because the two OH groups allow hydrogen bonding, and, in fact, sulfonic acid catechols are commonly dissolved in human urine, by way of example.

But urushiol has an attached aliphatic hydrocarbon chain, which then makes the molecule partially hydrophobic (and slightly "oily").

Given all that, I guess the oily oleoresin containing urushiol could "float" on water, in which case, it would do what you said. I will need to look that up though, as much of what people say about poison oak is based on "bro logic", but not science.

I must admit though, until you said that it floats on water, that I had never thought of that - so - I will need to look it up further before I can say, either way, whether urushiol floats on water, or not.

[Danny D.]

Danny D. wrote, on Thu, 17 Sep 2015 04:06:02 +0000:

I just uploaded these pics for Oren.... who taught me all about huckleberries when they're in season... so I'm repaying the favor ...

Cut poison oak vine with black oxidized urushiol stains in the phloem:

Thick poison oak vines, as thick as your wrist or larger:

Tig-welding gloves covered in urushiol stains:

Bluejeans with spit-sized black splotches of urushiol:

Washing everything, including the climbing rope, in the washing machine:

Washing boots and loppers outside with Dawn and a garden hose:

[Ron]

I've done some informal testing on myself and I've found that I can rub poison ivy leaves on most areas of my arms and legs, wait 90 minutes and wash it off with no reaction. Unfortunately, two hours gets me the expected nasty reaction.

[bob haller]

50% roundup...... 50% poision ivy killer sprayed from a small spray bottle applied to actively growing poision ivy will kill it dead. DO NOT PRUNE or remove any vegation / leaves the killer stuff is absorbed thru the leaves!

this will be a lifetime project, poision ivy will over time grow back.

NEVER BURN POISION IVY, the smoke can give you poision ivy in your lungs. if your very sensitive to it this can kill you.

its probably easier to pick a area not infected with poision ivy and store you kayack at a different location.

incidently the roots, even if dead can give you the rash too.

its best to stock up on steroids before proceeding

[micky]

Very interesting. Maybe I'll be more diligent about washing my legs when I think they may have gotten PI on them.

A couple weeks ago, for what I think is the first time, I foud a row of poke weed growing behind my next-door neighbor's townhouse. One guy on the web said he got fiercely itchy from its touching his ankle, though no one else complains about that (except whoever warned him not to touch it.) . Eating it, however, is poisonous, all parts. Unless cooked right, and that's just the leaves and I'm not going to try it.

[trader_4]

Or even if removing/changing natural vegetation that close to the beach is allowed at all. NJ is one of the places with a lot of regulations and with both environmental concerns, leaving nature in place to help prevent storm surges, etc, I wouldn't be surprised that there are restrictions.

Assuming it is OK, then I would use one of the brush killers that are available.

[trader_4]

That's a good point too. I don't see anything either, but the pics aren't that detailed, I was assuming there is in fact poison ivy there.

[Stormin Mormon]

Density 0.96, so it's pretty close to density of water.

[micky]

And even before it kills you, when your lungs itch, how do you scratch them? How do you put calamine lotion inside your lungs? It sounds like worse than anything I've ever had to have poison ivy in my lungs.

Actually, i never got any good results from calamine lotion. I use an aerosol anesthtic, I think with lydocaine. Spraying it on means I don't have to touch the skin and make the itching start up again. I used to use rHuli-Spray, but they don't make that anymore.

This is what they call it now, Johnson and Johnson Calamine Spray. When I looked this up a few years ago, it was also by J&J but it was called First Aid spray or something like that.

" Calamine Spray works on contact to provide fast, cooling relief of the itching and pain associated with many minor skin irritations. Calamine based formula dries the oozing and weeping of poison ivy, oak & sumac" I don't care about the oozing and weeping, only the itching. I'm not sure this really is rhuli-spray. I have a can or tube somwhere. I'll try to see whether it contains calamine.

[micky]

It uses benzocaine. If you don't have benzocaine, you can use your benzene cigarette lighter for the same effect, maybe.

[Danny D.]

trader_4 wrote, on Thu, 17 Sep 2015 04:42:28 -0700:

Glyphosate alone, while not the best for killing ivy with a foliar spray method, dissolves well in water, and is rather biodegradable, so, it's approved for use within so many (hundreds?) of feet of a drinking water supply.

The problem with any herbicide, including glyphosate mixtures, is that the adjuvants added to aid in surface wetting are generally as bad, or worse, to the environment and to you.

I'm not saying it's at the critical level - but - my point is only that you have to look at ALL the ingredients, when you worry about collateral damage danger.

[Stormin Mormon]

I'm curious what is a benzene cigarette lighter?

I've seen sun burn spray with lidocaine.

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

. .

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Dan Espen:

The photo's detain is not all that good, but the stuff is everywhere - thick enough to show up green in the right foreground.

I'd expect a huge case of poison ivy if I tried to mow it - having had total coverage on both legs once just by standing downwind of burning poison ivy...... mower spraying a mist of sap and all that.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per [e-mail]:

Ouch!... that's good to know.

I guess it's the flip side of the advice I have heard to wash any suspectedly-exposed body parts in plenty of cold water.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per bob haller:

Sounds like that is the most logical course of action.

This little plot was calling out to me because of it's 2-3' elevation above the garden-variety lunar tide/storm surge.