Poison ivy comes creeping around

[Lollyblogger]

Take a close look at that lush green hedge bordering the sidewalk where you're walking - IT'S FULL OF POISON IVY!
Why don't people weed this stuff out of their yards?
Seeing it everywhere.

[nmfong]

Anywhere that it's particularly bad?

[Lollyblogger]

Upper Rox & Andorra.

[MrsWeisass]

i saw a big sprig coming up in a pot on conrad yesterday.

[pjrb]

A few years back my mother gasped in our backyard that we had TONS of poison ivy. She usually DOES know what she's talking about so I spent a year or two layering up in old clothes, big rubber gloves, and weed killer, pulling as many out as I could, poisoning my property, bleaching the clothes and showering immediately when I was done -- and the f'ers keep coming back. Finally one day I saw a bunch in my neighbor's yard and -- she is an avid gardener -- I asked her about it -- and she said it was virginia creeper.

So maybe you earned your boy scout badge in poison ivy identification and are right -- but some of it out there may NOT be real poison ivy. Better not to take a chance, of course, but this website is pretty good for those of you not sure what it looks like: Poison Ivy Photos | Pictures of Poison Ivy.

[MrsWeisass]

Well theres the five-leaf stuff, and that is the virginia creeper you are referring to. Indeed, it does look a bit like poison ivy. However, the ivy itself grows differently--if it is coming up, the new leaves are often reddish or even pinkish, and they often start fused together and break into groups of threes as they mature. Ivy tends to grow as a vine, and will come back if you don't pull out the woody vines (which are also very good at getting you all itchy), and those vines look a heck of a lot like any other ivy vine. In other words, they blend in.

The best way, in my understanding, to get rid of poison ivy for good is either to hire a professional (there are a few good ones in the area) or suit up, and do a serious clean up with targeted roundup.

[Lollyblogger]

Folks, I've looked at the photos, and even a video (slow-moving but informative) Poison Ivy vs. Virginia Creeper - YouTube
As I thought, what I'm seeing is indeed poison ivy, not Virginia creeper.
And I've never seen it growing as blatantly as I do 'round Roxborough.
Speaking of round - Roundup does work!

[darthsinatra]

Plain white vinegar will do the trick and won't poison your yard or give you cancer.

[MrsWeisass]

Plain white vinegar will do the trick and won't poison your yard or give you cancer.

thats new to me. just spray it right on the ivy? will it kill the roots and woody parts?

[darthsinatra]

Far as I know. Might need more than one application.

[uly55es1]

I just spray the stuff with Round- up. Yeah I know its poison but I have been though one too many itch sessions to ever get near the stuff again.

[übercraft]

If the plant isn't allowed to regrow leaves, the root system will eventually run out of stored energy and the plant will eventually die.

Vinegar, agent orange, flame throwers, Round-Up, pulling it down and stuffing it into garbage bags, all of these methods work. Take your pick. When it comes to eradicating things, I look to Law #3 of Newton's Laws of Motion, which states, "To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction".
Round-Up could potentially reduce testosterone levels and reduces fertility. Flamethrowers will burn down your neighbor's house. Vinegar will take longer and has less potential for they often delayed negative "blowback" the other choices have but will make your yard smell like you're dying Easter Eggs.

Whatever you do use to kill Poison Ivy, the copound in the plant's sap will still be active and will still cause itching. Cold water without soap will remove the compound from clothes and bodies. Soap and hot water will spread it around. You won't have much time for clean-up so work quickly.

[Story]

It's generally a bad idea to burn poison ivy.
Beware of burning poison ivy and oak | TecLabs
Jus' sayin'

[uly55es1]

If the plant isn't allowed to regrow leaves, the root system will eventually run out of stored energy and the plant will eventually die.

Vinegar, agent orange, flame throwers, Round-Up, pulling it down and stuffing it into garbage bags, all of these methods work. Take your pick. When it comes to eradicating things, I look to Law #3 of Newton's Laws of Motion, which states, "To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction".
Round-Up could potentially reduce testosterone levels and reduces fertility. Flamethrowers will burn down your neighbor's house. Vinegar will take longer and has less potential for they often delayed negative "blowback" the other choices have but will make your yard smell like you're dying Easter Eggs.

Whatever you do use to kill Poison Ivy, the copound in the plant's sap will still be active and will still cause itching. Cold water without soap will remove the compound from clothes and bodies. Soap and hot water will spread it around. You won't have much time for clean-up so work quickly.

Got that covered. I am gender female and hubby, at 70 is out of the baby making business. Re. testosterone....ok I will do the spraying. Good info to know.

[alex]

Got that covered. I am gender female and hubby, at 70 is out of the baby making business. Re. testosterone....ok I will do the spraying. Good info to know.

If you live in the city, anything that you spray on your property is likely to affect your neighbors.