How to kill poison ivy

[Jon Danniken]

An old railroad guy I know said they were fond of used motor oil for the purpose, but you know how those old railroad guys are.

Jon

[TrailRun]

I have had good luck with an Ortho product "Weed-be-Gone" It works pretty well and is selective that it doesn't kill everything. It takes about a week and gradually the PI just withers a dies. It is an on going battle though as others have described, the birds and plants just keep reseeding. I would buy the concentrate and apply with a pump sprayer.

Wayne

[Stormin Mormon]

Excellent. You are far more wise than I.

[Stormin Mormon]

What I read (don't know if it's true). If you burn poison ivy, the poison part turns to vapor, and floats away. Which isn't good if a senstive person is down wind, and is in contact with the poison vapor. Gives allergic reaction on skin, eyes, lungs, mouth, nose, etc.

Wrap the plants in plastic bags and send to the landfill is the advice I remember.

[KC]

Very true. Been there & got a bad case that way. BTW, do you know that cashew (plant & nut) is a first cousin to poison ivy? If I eat more than just a few, I get the same reaction as PI.

KC

[Steve Barker]

Believe me , both will work, and the diesel fuel will last longer.

steve

[Kitep]

Do you care if the surrounding plants are killed off too? Roundup tends to kill everything, while others can be more selective.

I would try Ortho Brush-B-Gone Poison Ivy Remover. Here's a picture:

and the ad it comes from: I think I saw it at Home Depot, but I think any store that carries Scott lawn products will carry it. I should mention I've never tried it, so I don't know if it actually works.

Whatever you use, you may have to apply 2 or 3 applications to get it completely gone. If the vine is really thick, you'll probably have to cut it manually. Good luck with getting rid of it.