http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-nip-poison-ivy-in-the-bud.html
How to Nip Poison Ivy in the Bud
Spring is one of the very best and easiest times to rid your land of poison ivy in a safe, environmentally friendly way.
The key is catching the plant when the leaves are new and shiny.
Here is an easy formula for killing new poison ivy growth using simple kitchen cupboard ingredients:
Soap has been used for centuries as an all-purpose herbicide.
Note: Buy a liquid soap and not a detergent. Health food stores have liquid soaps, such as Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soaps.
Soap Spray
4 tablespoons liquid soap
1 quart water
Combine ingredients in a bucket, mix, then transfer to a spray bottle as needed.
Note that this recipe will kill neighboring vegetation also, so focus the spray on the poison ivy.
Here is another alternative solution to herbicides: Goats! For some reason, Spanish and Angora goat breeds absolutely love poison ivy. Make sure you get those particular breeds; most others don’t like poison ivy for their main meal. I would love to have goats, but my family won’t let me… !
Here is the homemade poison ivy vegetation killer spray that I’ve found is safe and effective if you are reading this when the leaves are no longer shiny:
Poison Ivy Vegetation Killer
1 cup salt
8 drops liquid detergent
1 gallon vinegar
Combine the salt and vinegar in a pan and heat to dissolve the salt. Cool the vinegar, add the detergent, and pour some of the liquid into a large spray bottle. Spray the vegetation. (You can also just pour the mixture onto the weeds.) Refill the spray bottle as necessary. Note that this formula will kill all the vegetation, so make sure that you are only spraying the plants you want to kill. If you need to use a lot of this spray, avoid spraying it near wells, as the salt can leach into your water supply.
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36 comments
add your comment »We have poison ivy vines in our yard this year with HUGE leaves---I've never seen them this large in my entire life!
Which natural solution IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE?
I am highly allergic so pulling is not an alternative for me!
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My dad, born in ye olde days out in the countryside is full of weird solutions for stuff, most of which work wonders. He once told me that pee and salt will fix poison ivy rashes. Weird, isn't it? Does anyone know if it's true?
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Hi, Yes... I have poison ivy on my property. i bought the house last spring in upstate NY and discovered that my wooded lot has it on the ground and on tarzan vines everywhere. I mean it is is is is the lawn, in the woods, and just plain everywhere. No, elbow grease is not the answer here. I pull on one and it is like a carpet. So, I'd like to hear from someone who has done the removal of massive poison ivy and how it went. it is early spring here and there are still some traces of snow that should be gone by midweek. I'd like to treat it now.... any suggestions?
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Hi, Yes... I have poison ivy on my property. i bought the house last spring in upstate NY and discovered that my wooded lot has it on the ground and on tarzan vines everywhere. I mean it is is is is the lawn, in the woods, and just plain everywhere. No, elbow grease is not the answer here. I pull on one and it is like a carpet. So, I'd like to hear from someone who has done the removal of massive poison ivy and how it went. it is early spring here and there are still some traces of snow that should be gone by midweek. I'd like to treat it now.... any suggestions?
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I can't believe that someone said to use a blow dryer on your skin to stop the itch! Just what you don't want to do! When you wash the skin, you do so with tempid (slightly warm) water, or you'll open the pores on the skin...allowing the oils from the ivy to enter. I would think that using that type of heat would later down the road have you having a good case of nerve damage. Using salt to kill it, will also kill the worms & micro organisms ( things you can't see without a microscope) which are extremely benificial to the well being of the soil! Cutting it to the base of the stem, and applying apple cider vinegar with a Q-Tip or eyeshadow brush, will get it gone! It may take a couple times, but it'll work. And I personally think that using any type of insecticide on spiders is wrong! Becauses they play a key role in our enviroment! They help get rid of a lot of pests that plague our gardens, they are food for the birds, and their webs are used by a lot of types of birds for their nests, particularly Hummingbirds.If I find one in my house, I take it outside (weather permitting). As for the fire ants (they too are important in our world),if you find you can't live with them, the only thing I would suggest is boiling water, they'll eventually leave to more promising soil. Lastly...that gal is right about using the vasiline...works great!
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I found 28 poison ivy plants with shiny leaves in my front yard this afternoon. I tried to get rid of them by locating the root system as a whole, but soon ran into a cross root system. I decided I did not want to dig up my front yard, so I will try the soap solution on the. I know the Dawn detergent and water combination works on fire ants and spiders.
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If you have weed coming up through the cracks of your driveway, sidewalk, brick, simply pour on white distilled vinegar. I sometime pull up and then pour on. Weeds do not return. wow
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I'm finding it hard to believe that something as benign as soap would kill poison ivy but i will give it a shot in the spring.
BTW, i've used Tecnu after exposure to PI for years and never get the rash after washing with Tecnu.
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I can't believe anyone would suggest Roundup instead of this formula. Roundup is highly toxic and has been associated with liver, respiratory, congnitive and sleeping problems. Do some research -- even the EPA admits to these problems with Roundup.
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I agree that pulling up the entire plant is the less harmful way to clear the PI from yards, etc. However, never BURN the weed - even the smoke carries the urushiol and if you breathe it it takes forever to clear up.
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