Poison Ivy

[GaryM]

I notice that the poison ivy is starting to come up. Is Roundup a good product to keep it under control? It says it kills grasses and weeds, but doesn't list any "brushy" weeds.

I'd like to use the Roundup as it comes in one of those packs with the sprayer built in.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Bird]

Roundup worked for me, Gary.

[chrisjbell]

Roundup will work, but I've found that I often have to apply it more than once. It'll make the leaves fall off, but the darn plant comes back the next season.

My neighbors use a product called "Remedy" and it works really well on the brushy stuff. They actually mix in a bit of diesel fuel - says it helps the stuff penetrate.

[beenthere]

I use roundup for a number of things, but have discovered that buying it "already mixed" is the next thing to worthless and my guess is it is really just water.

I buy the concentrate, and mix it according to the directions, and have very good luck with it. However, when spraying poison ivy, it will also kill the other "green" things that grow near it and get sprayed too.

For poison ivy, I find a 2-4D brush killer (broadleaf herbicide) works the best. But for poison ivy, you have to keep after it, especially if it is an old established patch.

[GaryM]

Well, I guess I'll try the Roundup as I already have the premix with the built in sprayer. As we aren't living on the property yet, and have no water supply, I'm hesitent to mess with anything I need to mix. After we're moved in it'll be different.

Years back I used to have a bottle of an Ortho product that was a brush killer. I wonder if that was 2-4D?

Do use a dedicated sprayer? Or do you figure that you can wash it out well enought to use the sprayer for other products like weed killer or insecticide?

[SteveB]

Is 2-4D suitable for use around fruit and vegetables? Do you have to worry about how close you get it to desirable plants? I’m looking for something to use in my blueberry patch. I know some people use roundup for this, but you have to be very careful when applying.

[beenthere]

I don't use a dedicated sprayer. I rinse it well after I wash with Joy dishsoap or something similar. Never have a problem. Just be careful and remember to do the washing.

One thing I always do when working in poison ivy, is to always wash within two hours of working in it. That gets the oil off the skin before a rash sets in. I try to do it as soon as possible, but for sure within two hours. Have not had a problem when doing this.

Also, I always wash my hands after putting on my work boots and tying the laces. I figure the oils can stick to the boots, so I am cautious - especially after getting a good dose of poison ivy from burning it and breathing the smoke. Years ago I could work in it all day long and it not bother. But my resistance broke down. Now I wash the oil off.

[beenthere]

Its my understanding that 2-4D will drift with the wind, even if the wind picks up after the 2-4D has been sprayed. A friend of mine wiped out his grapes and most of his raspberries when "only" spraying 2-4D on the lawn. It is designed to kill broadleaved plants, so I expect they would be susceptible.

If me, I would use Roundup on individual plants I wanted to kill, and rig up something to dip in strong mix of Roundup and "touch" the plants to kill. I think the farmers use a nylon rope hanging across a wide boom that is saturated with Roundup to drive through soybean fields, touching the weeds (and volunteer corn) with the nylon rope to kill them and "clean" the bean fields. Might have more sophisticated means now, but not too many years ago this method was used. Maybe a similar trick with a saturated rope on a pole, so you can touch the plants you want to kill. Also, maybe 2-4D would work the same way, but I think the broad leaves have to have more 2-4D to kill them than when using Roundup.

[GaryM]

I think I've seen a picture of the rope thing you mention. It looked like a piece of PVC pipe with fittings. The fittings had loops or "rope" that ran from one to another. But the fittings were staggered so the loops overlapped. More of a cotton wick rather than rope. Maybe like the devices they use to apply anti fly stuff to the backs of cattle as they walk underneath.

I'll try the Roundup next week and see what happens.

"Remedy" and diesel, the only way to go. If it grows, this will kill it.