Poison Ivy

How to control depends on the where the plant is growing. If it is growing around other desirable plants than your safest and best method is to cut the plant to the ground then spot treat with Roundup type products. Keep at it as Roundup is slow acting on perennial woody plants. Roundup only effects plants that it contacts.

If the ivy is growing in a "waste area" or where no desirable plants are located then use a so called brush killer. Same thing - cut to the ground and treat the regrowth. Brush killers contain something like 2,4-D or triclopyr. Treat as needed.

Hope that helps and be careful!

Dennis - Johnson County Extension

If you are not allergic and there is only one or two places its coming up try to dig it out.

If you allergic and dont want or need to spray a large amount:

This is called a basal application.
Wear rubber gloves. Find the places it is coming out of the ground. At each place, make a cut at ground level and apply a drop of herbicide to the fresh cut stem going into the ground. An example of one such product is Green Light Cut Vine Killer. Be careful only to apply to the cut. This is a concentrated form of herbicide. If you over-apply it, the excess can run into the ground and harm other nearby plants roots. So be very careful not to overapply. One way to prevent it is to put the drop on a cheap foam brush then dab that to the cut. The herbicide has dye in it so you will be able to tell if it got onto the cut. Be sure to dispose of the foam brush properly.

Done correctly this has a much lower impact on the surrounding environment than spraying. The idea is to get a herbicide to move down into the root system and kill it all. Large poison ivy patches with extensive root systems may need several applications when new shoots come up.

Be careful not to get poison ivy on your clothes.

If there is a large patch it may require spraying. Sprays work best when the plants are in flower. Rarely does one want to wait for that and as a result sprays often just burn back the top part of the plant and some root system stays intact. This comes back and requires another treatment.

Such sprays are usually specifically listed as poison ivy killer. Some formulations of Round Up work ok. Be careful not to have either type drift onto surrounding shrubs or other ornamental plants.

Large patches often require several applications.

I am pretty sensitive to the stuff now. If I am trying to control a large patch I spray it once and then whatever starts coming back I use a basal applications. "Burning it back" with a spray the first time reduces my chances of getting in it so I can come back and get the roots.

I have found the two products Ivy-Stop and Ivy-rid to be effective at preventing outbreaks if and when I do get into it.

This is a good site for poison ivy information. I am linking it to the pictures for spring examples.

Some people aren't allergic. Talk them into coming over and ripping it out. Just dont shake their hand when they are done.