You remember to stay far away from the backyard poison ivy patch, but Fido isn’t so aware of the poisonous hazard. Fido runs through the yard, rolls through the poison ivy, and comes running back into the house. He jumps on your lap for lots of petting, and you are unknowingly getting poison ivy oil all over you!
To keep you and your family safe from the plant’s itchy and unbearable rash, turn to our guide on how to get rid of poison ivy in your yard.
What is poison ivy?
Poison ivy is a woody perennial that can climb up trees and fences with its hairy aerial rootlets, creep along the ground, or mimic a shrub. In autumn, its leaves change from bright green to bright orange, red, or yellow. In spring, it produces white waxy fruits and flowers. Poison ivy has its fair share of look-alikes, including Virginia creeper and boxelder.
The alternate leaves growing along the plant’s stem have three leaflets, typically elliptic in shape with toothed, smooth, or lobed margins. The middle leaflet grows on a long stalk, while the two adjacent leaflets grow directly from the stem.
Poison ivy is common throughout the U.S., except for Hawaii, Alaska, and parts of the west coast. It thrives in wooded areas, which is why you need to be extra careful on those hiking and camping trips.
But poison ivy can grow in many different environments. It can grow along sidewalks, climb up your tool shed, and pop up in a bustling city park. And, as you already know, your garden and backyard aren’t immune to it either.
How to get rid of poison ivy in your yard
Before you get near poison ivy, you’ll need to take the necessary precautions. If you’re not careful, you could develop an itchy rash known as contact dermatitis. To keep yourself safe from the plant, wear protective clothing, including:
- Rubber gloves
- Long-sleeved shirt
- Long pants
- Closed-toe shoes
- Tall socks
- Eye protection
After working closely with the ivy, immediately wash the clothes in a separate laundry load. You don’t wait to spread the plant oil to your laundry hamper or dresser. Clean all used garden tools with rubbing alcohol to remove all traces of the plant’s oil, which can stay active for years.
Now, let’s talk about the best removal options for the poison ivy growing in your yard.
Cutting
Cutting down poison ivy to ground level is a straightforward and effective control method, but you’ll need to be persistent. It can take years of cutting back the plant before you can successfully kill it. Poison ivy has a complex root system, so a snip now and then isn’t going to stop it from regrowing.
To do it, gather some shears, cut down every poison ivy vine or shrub in your yard, and try to dispose of them without touching your clothes. Next, apply herbicides to the remaining stumps to kill the roots, checking the stumps periodically and reapplying the herbicide if needed.
Regularly mowing the poison ivy is also an option, but it’s not ideal. This approach results in the mower spitting the oils and shredded leaves in all directions, putting you and your family at greater risk of exposure.
Hand-pulling
Gently hand-pulling poison ivy is an effective control method for small patches of poison ivy, but it requires you to get nice and cozy with the plant. If you can remove poison ivy’s root system by pulling the plant out from the ground, you have a good chance of removing the weed for good. If you’re trying to uproot a large patch of poison ivy, then use a shovel to help you dig up the roots.
One helpful technique is to grab a sturdy garbage bag, turn it inside out, place your arm inside, pull out the plant, pull the bag up over your arm, and seal it.
Applying herbicides
If you want minimal exposure to the plant and a fast solution, consider using chemicals. Spraying poison ivy with an herbicide containing glyphosate, triclopyr, and 2,4-D can help get the plant under control, as long as you repeat the process. Poison ivy is a relentless weed, which is why one application is rarely enough.
For best results, apply the herbicide at the right time of year. Use the following tips from the Clemson Cooperative Extension as a guideline:
- Glyphosate is most effective when applied two weeks before and two weeks after the plant’s full bloom in early summer.
- Apply triclopyr after the leaves fully expand in the spring and before leaf color changes in autumn.
- 2,4-D offers the best control in late spring or early summer during the plant’s active growth season.
Always read your product’s label directions. Misapplying herbicides can be hazardous to the environment, animals, and people. Many herbicides also will harm plants you want to grow, such as turfgrass.
Smothering
Some homeowners resort to smothering the poison ivy plant in their yards. This involves placing a plastic, rubber, or cardboard covering over the plant to prevent it from growing and spreading by cutting off water and nutrients to the plant. Come in with several inches’ worth of mulch to really seal the poison ivy in.
Pay close attention to small runners (roots) that can still sneak past the covering and continue sprouting.
Using hot water
Another way to get rid of poison ivy is to pour boiling water over the plant roots, repeating the process as many times as needed to kill the roots and prevent new growth.
Applying an organic spray
If you haven’t had much luck with other poison ivy removal methods, you can give this one a try. To make a poison ivy organic killer spray, mix 1 gallon of vinegar, 1 cup of salt, and 7 or 8 drops of dish soap, pouring the mixture into a sprayer. You guessed it: You’ll have to go around and spray the poison ivy in your yard, thoroughly saturating the pesky weed. Try to avoid spraying other non-target plants as much as possible.
What parts of the poison ivy plant are poisonous?
All parts of the plant are poisonous. The leaves, roots, stems, and fruits all produce a long-lasting oil called urushiol that causes an itchy rash when it comes in contact with the skin.
The oil can last for years on surfaces. If your tools or clothes are covered in urushiol, you can get a rash just by touching the oil. If Fido or Ginger rolled around in the poison ivy patch, you could get a rash just by petting their fur.
More than that, the plant is poisonous year-round, including wintertime. Be especially careful around the plant in spring and summer because that’s when the oil content is highest.
Pro tip: Never burn poison ivy. Inhaling the smoke could result in respiratory problems and lung inflammation.
FAQ about getting rid of poison ivy in your yard
What should I do if I touch poison ivy?
Despite wearing long sleeves, you’ll quickly discover how difficult it can be to avoid contact with poison ivy as you attempt to control it. If the urushiol gets on your skin, gently wash your skin with soap and cool water as soon as possible.
Remember to wash your hands after cleaning the affected areas, including underneath your fingernails. You also can use rubbing alcohol instead of soap.
What does a poison ivy rash look like?
Signs and symptoms of a poison ivy rash include:
- Itching
- Redness
- Blisters
- Swelling
- Difficulty breathing (if you inhaled the smoke of burning poison ivy)
A poison ivy rash will typically appear as a straight line because that’s how the plant will likely rub against you. But if you wear a piece of clothing or touch fur with oil on it, the rash may appear more spread out. A poison ivy rash usually develops 12 to 48 hours after exposure and lasts two to three weeks.
How do I treat a poison ivy rash?
A poison ivy rash will eventually go away after two to three weeks. But sometimes, the itching can feel unbearable, making treatment necessary. The Mayo Clinic recommends the following home remedies to help relieve itchiness:
- Apply calamine lotion or creams containing menthol.
- Apply an over-the-counter cortisone cream or ointment (Cortizone 10) for the first few days.
- Soak the affected area in a cool-water bath that has a half-cup (100 grams) of baking soda or an oatmeal-based bath product in it.
- Take oral antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or loratadine (Alavert, Claritin, and others).
- Place cool, wet compresses on the affected area for 15 to 30 minutes. Repeat the compressions several times a day.
Contact your primary care doctor if your rash covers a large area, becomes infected, or persists for more than a few weeks. They might refer you to a dermatologist, a doctor who specializes in skin conditions.
You also should see your doctor for medical advice if:
- Your skin continues to swell
- The rash affects your mouth, eyes, or genitals
- You develop a fever greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit
- The blisters ooze pus
Are poison ivy rashes contagious?
If you have an allergic reaction to poison ivy, you cannot spread the rash to other people. A person can only get the rash if they come in contact with urushiol oil.
Will a poison ivy rash spread if I scratch it?
It’s not uncommon for a poison ivy rash to grow in size, but the spreading is not caused by scratching the rash (unless you have the urushiol oil under your fingernails).
A poison ivy rash will only occur where the urushiol oil has touched the skin. If the blisters happen to burst, the rash will still not spread because they don’t contain the urushiol oil.
Here are some reasons why your poison ivy rash may be spreading:
- Different parts of your body may be absorbing the oil at different rates.
- You may be experiencing repeated exposure to contaminated objects, such as clothes or tools.
- Oil may still be trapped underneath your fingernails. As you continue to itch areas of your body, the nails will consequently spread the oil.
Let the pros take over
Poison ivy is a stubborn weed. Controlling it takes patience and persistence, and you risk exposing yourself to the oil along the way. Why go through all that trouble when you can hire professional weed control?
After all, the pros have the proper equipment, safety gear, and commercial herbicides to address the problem. They can get cozy with the plant while you stay far, far away.
Main Photo Credit: cygnus921 | Flickr | CC BY 2.0
