# Poison Ivy in the winter



## wingsfan (Jan 20, 2013)

Scrounged up an ash tree some one hit on the edge of the road and broke it off and the county just pushed it off the road into a pile. Well I got a lot off wood from it , but The tree was laiden with dead poison ivy vines,Or so I thought it was dead. Sweated my arse off getting it,but now I have poison ivy all over my eyelids and forehead, from whipping the sweat away with my sleeve. I sure would of thought the ivy was dead this time of year, but I guess not. Now my eys are almost swelled shot and itch like crazy.Not fub at all.


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## Mackj (Jan 20, 2013)

Poison ivy is miserable #&*#.  I have also got it from the vines.  Its not dead just dormant and the vines are full of oil.  Your doctor can give you a shot, almost immediate relief from the itching, and about 2 days completely gone.  I am very careful but very susceptible to pi that steroid shot can save a lot of misery!


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## blades (Jan 20, 2013)

The oil in the dead vines will stay viable for a couple years, it is very slow to break down.  Do not burn the vines as that does not destroy the oil but vaporizes it into the air which can make for a extremely bad situation. As nasty as it is on the outside of you it is 1k worse on the inside and can cause death.


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## ScotO (Jan 20, 2013)

wingsfan said:


> Scrounged up an ash tree some one hit on the edge of the road and broke it off and the county just pushed it off the road into a pile. Well I got a lot off wood from it , but The tree was laiden with dead poison ivy vines,Or so I thought it was dead. Sweated my arse off getting it,but now I have poison ivy all over my eyelids and forehead, from whipping the sweat away with my sleeve. I sure would of thought the ivy was dead this time of year, but I guess not. Now my eys are almost swelled shot and itch like crazy.Not fub at all.


 I've done jobs where there was tons of poison ivy, and never got a single reaction from it.  Then, the week before Christmas, I went to a co-worker's house to remove a HUGE white pine that had blown over during Sandy.  Well, it had a 1" diameter vine growing up the trunk.  I used gloves and a hatchet, removed the bark off of the pine that was behind the vine and took it off....end of story, right?  WRONG!  Woke up the next morning and had several blisters on my right wrist, first time I ever had a reaction to PI in all these years.....it only lasted a couple of days, but still......never had it before.  I'm hoping the reason I got it was some scratches I had in that area....I think it got into them.  Either way, that chit is NASTY......


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## midwestcoast (Jan 20, 2013)

It is very tough stuff to deal with if you're sensitive to it. Unfortunately any part of the plant can get you no matter what state it's in. Even the dead stem or roots in mid winter (as you now know & won't likely forget). 
Be careful with the clothes, gloves and boots you were wearing. They have the oil on them and it's still nasty.  You don't need any more exposure now so don't even touch them without impermeable gloves on. Then wash those gloves too. HOT water and soap will remove it no prob though.
Now about that wood. If it were me I wouldn't touch it 'till you're all recovered, & then handle it carefully, no wiping your sweat 
I would still burn it after a couple years seasoning, but if there's someone who's Very sensitive in the family...


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## wingsfan (Jan 20, 2013)

midwestcoast said:


> It is very tough stuff to deal with if you're sensitive to it. Unfortunately any part of the plant can get you no matter what state it's in. Even the dead stem or roots in mid winter (as you now know & won't likely forget).
> Be careful with the clothes, gloves and boots you were wearing. They have the oil on them and it's still nasty. You don't need any more exposure now so don't even touch them without impermeable gloves on. Then wash those gloves too. HOT water and soap will remove it no prob though.
> Now about that wood. If it were me I wouldn't touch it 'till you're all recovered, & then handle it carefully, no wiping your sweat
> I would still burn it after a couple years seasoning, but if there's someone who's Very sensitive in the family...


 
I told the wife I might just put the rounds outback for a year or so and let the stuff die off..I guess I handle it right I could probably get it split up.


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## Lowtech (Jan 20, 2013)

I know this will sound awful odd. But ! For some relief, try rubbing the inside of a banana peal on the rash.  Found this on the internet a few months back when I had a pi on my left forearm.  Helped me.


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## jdp1152 (Jan 20, 2013)

Urishiol oil will stay active for 5+ years after vine is dead.  I killed a big patch a few years back.  Didn't see a peep from it for a full year.  Completely forgot about and started digging holes for some shrubs.  My forearms were covered up.  Got into it pretty bad late winter this past year.  Had no idea I was in it since there weren't any leaves out yet.  Nothing like sitting in an important meeting wearing a dress shirt and having weeping poison ivy sores leaking through your shirt. 

Started using Ivy Block before getting out in the brush and it seems to be working well.  Some tiny blisters, but not major outbreaks.  I also keep a prescription of Prednisone just in case.  Went from being able to run around it as kid and have no reaction to having pretty bad ones as an adult.


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## midwestcoast (Jan 20, 2013)

jdp1152 said:


> ...Started using Ivy Block before getting out in the brush and it seems to be working well. Some tiny blisters, but not major outbreaks. I also keep a prescription of Prednisone just in case. Went from being able to run around it as kid and have no reaction to having pretty bad ones as an adult.


 
Tell me more about Ivy Block. You put it on before anticipated exposure and it helps block the oil? Do you put it on your whole body? under clothes?
My wife is pretty susceptible to PI, & I have friends that are VERY sensitive to it. We all like to hike and the stuff grows thick around here.


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## jdp1152 (Jan 20, 2013)

midwestcoast said:


> Tell me more about Ivy Block. You put it on before anticipated exposure and it helps block the oil? Do you put it on your whole body? under clothes?
> My wife is pretty susceptible to PI, & I have friends that are VERY sensitive to it. We all like to hike and the stuff grows thick around here.


 
Correct.  I put it on my face and forearms if I'm going to be in an area I know it's at.  It's not pretty....you'll have a thin white haze on your skin once it dries.  It won't stop everything, but it certainly improved my situations.  I can live with a tiny blister vs a huge weeping rash.  After I'm done outside, my clothes come off and go right in the washing machine and get washed alone with a little extra detergent.  I'll keep a bottle of palmolive in my shower during the summer months.  It repels oil better than typical soap so I wash with that with cooler water temps to keep my pores closed more than they would with hot water.


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## midwestcoast (Jan 20, 2013)

Thanks. Just threw some in my cart for the loved ones who lost that particular genetic lottery


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## jdp1152 (Jan 20, 2013)

I seriously have considered renting goats to clear it out on a portion of my lot.  I just don't know how to tackle it and the brush killer only knocks it back.  Dang birds just spread that stuff everywhere.  Lot of elderly folks in my town who don't maintain their land and it's growing everywhere.  Saw where the utility company took down this massive three trunk ash up the road from us.  It had two PI vines growing up that were as big around as my arm.


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## Michael Golden (Jan 20, 2013)

I got poison ivy one winter deer hunting sitting on a stump, I was covered. Like said above get the hot ASAP and it will be gone in two days. I haven't got poison ivy since, it's amazing how the body changes.


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## BobUrban (Jan 21, 2013)

Bad stuff and pretty much on every tree I cut. I call it Devil Weed and my best defense is just make a concious effort to keep from touching any exposed skin with anything I wear our use when cutting. Invariably I get a little every year because I spend so much time in the woods either hiking, hunting or working but the biggest exposure is cutting. The oil lasts forever and you can put a coat or gloves on that you have not used for over a year and get the dirty stuff from them. My biggest worry is getting it from the chain because I cut through a lot of vines.

I often wash my hands with dish soap with my cutting gloves on after coming in from cutting just to cut down on the potential and remember to wear gloves when working on the saw and sharpening the chain because this is covered in oil.

The vines are totally invassive so near impossible to eliminate but I do take an axe out in the winter and cut as many big vines as I can find. I take a couple inches out and they die and dry up in a year or so. Dead ones are still filled with oil but they pull off the tree much easier when I am cutting the tree at a later date.

For me I have found little relief from either pharmacutical or voodoo remedies and just deal with it for a week or so until it goes away. Best defense IMO is not to get it - which can be near impossible at times. Do as much research online as possible if you are working around it and this will give you a better perspective of how to avoid it. If you do get it on your hands/faces/skin you can limit or prevent it by just rinsing them in water within a few moments. I will use my drinking water or even a creek or puddle if I know I just touched some. May not be 100% but if you don't get the oil off right away it is too late - like 5 minutes.

Also there is no medical evidence that it can go systemic although some feel differently is is actually that certain parts of your skin react quicker that others so you can get different stages of a breakout that make it seem like it is spreading from within. You also cannot spread it from one person to another unless you are spreading the oils. The blisters are not contageous. Be careful out there.


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## BEConklin (Jan 21, 2013)

I thank my lucky stars that my 11 acres of "cutting wood" land has very little of it growing anywhere. A few smaller vines here and there along the river is all.  On my 2+ acres where the house is, however, the stuff is all over the place with some pretty large and hairy vines growing up several trees that I'm planning to cut in the future 

I'm thinking the best way to kill it might be to cut the vines in winter about 2 feet above the ground and paint the remaining stump of the vine with a systemic herbicide like Round-up. In spring, IF new leaves sprout from the stump, once they open up, I'll spray them with Round-up as well.


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## BobUrban (Jan 21, 2013)

Yes - cut the big vines in the winter and take out a chunk so it cannot somehow re-gen back together and you know you have eliminated it's life force but DO NOT rely on the fact that it is dead either from cutting, spraying or a combination of the two that it no longer can get ya!!  The oil lasts a long time even in dead plants.  Killing it just makes it more managable when working on the trees and limits re-gen.  Darn stuff is relentless!!


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## BuckthornBonnie (Jan 21, 2013)

Just dealt with some of it this morning while cutting some buckthorn outta a hedgerow. Hopefully won't get a reaction to it since I took a few precautions.  I'd add that keeping a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol has helped our issues a bit.  Spray hands, gloves, tools, etc. with it.  When I can, I toss out the gloves that I know came in contact with it (rubber coated junk gloves).  I also shower up right after cutting...no delay.  Wear a hat/bandana during the summer so sweat isn't constantly in your face (you're less likely to wipe the oil on your face that way).

I've been doing the axe trick and will continue to attack this stuff.  I have some vines thicker than my wrist and we also have the "ground variety" that is nasty to walk through without swamp boots.  Good luck!


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## BuckthornBonnie (Jan 21, 2013)

Oh... and we've found that Benadryl Clear works for us once you get some rash developing.  I don't think it heals the rash, but it helps with the pain/itch. Read the directions carefully since it is easy to over-do Benadryl products.


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## Shane N (Jan 21, 2013)

I'm really glad our poison ivy doesn't grow in vines here. I never see any sort of vines on trees here. The PI we have is only a couple feet tall at worst in clumps, all growing on the ground.


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## TradEddie (Jan 21, 2013)

jdp1152 said:


> I seriously have considered renting goats to clear it out on a portion of my lot. I just don't know how to tackle it and the brush killer only knocks it back.


Persistence, and Round-Up.
Vines on trees, hit them with an axe, leave them there. Vines on the ground, start in early Spring, spray Round-Up on everything with three leaves, be ruthless, then every few weeks walk through again. Don't try pull the sprayed plants, let the spray get to the roots and kill the whole plant. PI only grows well on the periphery, so concentrate your efforts there, only occasional checks of the deeper woods should be needed.
It took me a year after we moved in to feel like it was under control, but now anything that re-appears gets dealt with quickly. I'm sure I've killed many innocent bystanding oak and hickory saplings, buts that's a small price to pay.

TE


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 21, 2013)

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/tecnu-outdoor-skin-cleanser/ID=prod3984826-product


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## bad69bird (Jan 21, 2013)

I get it bad,  Now if I know im gonna be cutting near the stuff I carry a spray bottle of rubbing acohol.  Spray my equipment with it then spray a couple paper towels and rub down all my exposed skin. May burn a little but better than getting the stuff


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## Applesister (Jan 21, 2013)

Tecnu? huh
that's a new aspect. The powerline guys have all the latest remedies and preventives. I took some pictures last week out snowshoeing. Vines. I can get closer to the vines under snow cover. Its along the hedgerows growing on the black cherry and I can see the tiny little hairy stems left from the little white berries that have most likely been eaten.
My favorite pub, just about 10 miles from me, has a tree growing at the edge of its outdoor eating area. The poison ivy vines hang directly over a dining table. Last summer I could see the little white berries hanging in drupes...waiting.
I asked the doctor once how come the shot needle looked so big. He said the serum needs to be refrigerated. LOL. Imagine storing gear oil in the frig. 
Thank God the needle is a subcutainous injection cause you gotta drop your pants for it!!


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## weatherguy (Jan 21, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> View attachment 90322
> 
> 
> http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/tecnu-outdoor-skin-cleanser/ID=prod3984826-product


 
Yes, works awesome, washes the oil right off. If I come in contact with any or think I have I jump in the shower and wash down with tecnu, works 99%, sometimes I may miss a spot or the oils too thick and I get a few little bumps. This is from someone whos hypersensitive.


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## wingsfan (Jan 22, 2013)

We bought some stuff at Meijer, it's called Zanfel. It does the same thing as the tecne, to wash away the oils. This stuff was $37 for like a 5 oz.tube, but it washes the oils away and takes the itch away in 30 seconds. Says right on the package and it worked for me. It was expensive,but a lot cheaper thangoing to the doctors.


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## wingsfan (Jan 22, 2013)

bad69bird said:


> I get it bad, Now if I know im gonna be cutting near the stuff I carry a spray bottle of rubbing acohol. Spray my equipment with it then spray a couple paper towels and rub down all my exposed skin. May burn a little but better than getting the stuff


 
You can use witch hazel..It looks just like rubbing alcohol,and does the same thing ,but it doesn't burn.


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## WeldrDave (Jan 22, 2013)

My utmost sympathy!! I swear I get it by looking at it.... I have to go get the shot at the Dr. for it. got it twice this year. It makes me sick knowing some people can roll in the stuff and never get it.  I hope you feel better..., take up drinking, seems to help me.........


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## f3cbboy (Jan 22, 2013)

wingsfan said:


> it's called Zanfel


 
BEST STUFF ON THE PLANET   expensive but works.


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## Sisu (Jan 22, 2013)

Because it is an oil, I use a hand degreaser and then a strong soap (eg. a bar of Sunlight soap) on any exposed skin, immediately after I have worked in or around poison ivy.  It, along with being careful, has worked every time. 

The only time I had a really bad rash was when I didn't know I was working in poison ivy (ie. planting trees amongst poison ivy patches in late spring, prior to the leaves coming out).


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 22, 2013)

wingsfan said:


> You can use witch hazel..It looks just like rubbing alcohol,and does the same thing ,but it doesn't burn.


 
We have lots of that here. It grows all over our place.


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## billb3 (Jan 22, 2013)

I see it growing everywhere. It comes up like understory trees and it might live as a small  simple three leaved plant for several years and without enough light not make it. But one downed tree opening up the canopy or a cleared lot or field edge and it can take off like wildfire.
I've been spraying some here that did well in a christmas tree plot and   sent vines up nearby trees.
I prune the vines at the base of the tree in Winter being very careful not to get any oil on me  and then leave those pruners to dry out for months before using them for anything else. Darn stuff is persistent and can survive several years of brush killer. Physically digging  it out doesn't seem to always get all of it either.


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## weatherguy (Jan 22, 2013)

wingsfan said:


> We bought some stuff at Meijer, it's called Zanfel. It does the same thing as the tecne, to wash away the oils. This stuff was $37 for like a 5 oz.tube, but it washes the oils away and takes the itch away in 30 seconds. Says right on the package and it worked for me. It was expensive,but a lot cheaper thangoing to the doctors.


 
I bought this one year too when they didnt have tecnu, works just as well.


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## Senatormofo (Jan 23, 2013)

I got a bad case of it last February while cutting a huge vine off a Sycamore tree with a hatchet. I'm thinking the wood chips that hit my face and hands caused it. I didn't realize it was PI but I know now!


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## jdp1152 (Jan 23, 2013)

Shane N said:


> I'm really glad our poison ivy doesn't grow in vines here. I never see any sort of vines on trees here. The PI we have is only a couple feet tall at worst in clumps, all growing on the ground.


 
Doesn't always grown on vines here either.  What I thought was some rogue bush/shurb/borderline small tree is what got me.  Acutally, picking it up and putting in the shredder is what did the trick  Damn you mild winter that allowed me to go sleeveless while clearing land.


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## jdp1152 (Jan 23, 2013)

Don't pay for Technu.  Palmolive does the same thing for a fraction of the price.  You're washing at this point, you simply need something that pushes oil away into the water stream.  Exposure has already happened, you're just trying to keep it from spreading by remaining on your skin. Cold water...cold water....cold water.  Don't open your pores until you've scrubbed and rinsed several times.

Don't believe that rubbing alcohol or witch hazel help much either.  They're simply solvents that give it more mobility to move away from the original spot of contact....most likely to a different spot on your body.  Chemical composition does not change and both solvents evaporate quickly.  Dousing yourself might help I guess.  Using it on your tools is  waste of money since water and detergent will accomplish the same thing.  Even just higher pressured water for that matter.

What anyone does after exposure greater than 15 minutes is simply palliative.  Doesn't impact  anything other than your comfort.  If you've got it, do whatever you need to do in that regard.  If you've washed well enough, genetics is the only reason a rash or blister will spread.

Chemistry is both my wife and my careers.  What I say above is true. Prevent, prevent, prevent.  Ivy block helps there....same idea as historical civilizations using clay to prevent it...later of skin protectant keeps it from penetrating.


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## BucksCounty (Jan 23, 2013)

Have it now.  Had it in the fall. And will get it again in the spring.  It sucks!  BUt hey, you could have worse problems in life.


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## StihlHead (Jan 23, 2013)

We have poison ivy's cousin here in the wild west: poison oak. Similar plant, grows as a vine or shrub, birds love the seeds and spread it all over. Another tree to watch out for if you are allergic to PO/PI is Ginko; the bark has the same oils in it as PO/PI. I learned from a park ranger in Big Sur many years ago that the best thing to prevent a PO outbreak is wash within 12 hours of being exposed, and use a cheap shampoo like Suave that has lots of sodium laureth sulfate (or any similar compounds). SLS is a detergent and it removes the oils from your skin. Plain water is not nearly as effective. It does the same thing as the other stuff like Technu that is far more expensive. I have been doing that after being exposed to PO many many times over the years, and I have never had a reaction to it since. It can also get on your clothes, and your dogs, and you can be exposed if you touch them later. So you have to wash your clothes and the dog if they come in contact with the plants.

The thing with the oils in PO/PI are that they bind with your skin and you get a reaction from that binding action more like a transplant rejection than a true allergic reaction. The PO/PI oil itself does not spread, but the skin reaction does. The more sensitive your skin is to it, the greater the skin rash that results. My next older brother gets it really bad, and one little patch of the oil binding to his skin one day will result in his eyes swelling shut the next day and his entire body having hives (or wheels) and his having to get cortisone shots. My ex also gets it really bad, and she has over 100 acres with the stuff growing on her property. She takes Benadryl which is pretty effective. Another option with Benadryl is to get the gel caps and poke a hole in them and rub the gel on the exposed site to reduce the reaction.

PO spreads through underground rhizomes and I believe that PI does the same. Roundup is not very effective against woody plants like these. We sprayed it for several years with many different herbicides, including Roundup, Crossbow and Garlon. We found that Garlon (triclopyr) was the most effective at killing it. It has the same ingredient found in _Ortho Weed-B-Gon_, _Ortho MAX Poison Ivy_ and _Tough Brush Killer_. Be careful when burning areas with PO or PI, as the oils can be released into the smoke and if you breath it in, you can get it in your lungs.

Leaves of three, leave it be...


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## MasterMech (Jan 23, 2013)

Zanfel: Very expensive, does what it says it will do but if you already have a bad rash, you're not going to cure the stuff overnight. I never have any luck once the rash actually breaks out.

Technu: Great stuff that's realtively affordable, will wash off the oil that is the root cause of the rash in the first place.

Ivy Block: Expensive, and _worth it_. I use it before working anywhere near the stuff and follow up with a shower using Technu, or some other oil dissolving detergent.

PI, PO, and PS do not "spread" systemically but it is _very_ easy to spread the oil in the shower. When showering after an exposure, wash head to toe, in that order,  , making sure you wash/rinse all the way down to your toenails. I've showered and wound up with a mild rash on my feet the day after.  Use cold/cool water for the initial wash down.  As hot as you can stand it if the rash breaks out.

Most of the products that are labeled to use specifically on poison ivy rash are labeled with very specific instructions. Follow them to the letter and make sure you shake 'em up good 'cause most are suspensions that separate easily. Most have a specific time limit as to how long they are effective for. Know that when the time runs out for a product like Ivy Block, if you haven't washed the oils away by then, you are still in for an itchy 2-3 weeks. The single most important factor is time. Minimize time between exposure and thorough cleansing for best results.

Another good way to remove the oil from your skin is mechanic's hand cleaner. (Fast Orange, GoJo, etc.) If it can cut through the grime I accumulate in a day, it can surely handle a little Urishiol. Also, I wash down my equipment with citrus-based degreaser and my PPE/clothes with Simple Green is the washer.

I am extremely sensitive to the stuff and it is _everywhere_ in my neighborhood. I managed to process a large Red Oak post-Sandy that had 3 or 4 vines on it that the main runners were 4"+.  I tied the runners to the truck and pulled 'em off the tree, dragged them into the woods to die. Not impossible to deal with, especially after the leaves have fallen off for the winter. Getting close to the time I like to cut the vines with loppers too. After the plant has gone dormant all winter and used up it's root reserves, take a 1 ft section of the main runner out before the leaves begin to bud. I also used a mixture of glyphosate and triclopyr ( I think it was Round-Up's Poison Ivy/Tough Brush formula) and that did wonders to stop the new vines from growing. Only the big 'uns left and I'm working on those now.

Leaves of three, fear me.


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## jdp1152 (Jan 23, 2013)

MasterMech said:


> PI, PO, and PS do not "spread" systemically but it is _very_ easy to spread the oil in the shower. When showering after an exposure, wash head to toe, in that order,  , making sure you wash/rinse all the way down to your toenails. I've showered and wound up with a mild rash on my feet the day after. Use cold/cool water for the initial wash down. As hot as you can stand it if the rash breaks out.


 
I wash my arms and hands several times before going head to toe.  Want them as clean as possible before letting em rub the rest of my body.  I wash my special parts with extra care.  Last place I want to be dealing with a rash is down around the midsection...front or back.


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## MaintenanceMan (Jan 23, 2013)

One word.... Prednisone!


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## wingsfan (Jan 23, 2013)

MaintenanceMan said:


> One word.... Prednisone!


 
That requires a doctors visit, witch isn't cheap now days without insurance.


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## legrandice (Jan 23, 2013)

we have TONS of poison ivy here on our 1 acre lot.   No matter where we work in the yard we are bound to encounter a small plant or vine.  We have treated the yard, cut the vines and manged to keep it from spreading more.  BUT it is a battle...we fight every year.   My wife is very sensitive and has been to the doctor several times to deal with it.  We now wash with tecnu (at the advice of our neighbor).  It makes a HUGE difference.


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## Bret Chase (Jan 23, 2013)

jdp1152 said:


> I seriously have considered renting goats to clear it out on a portion of my lot. I just don't know how to tackle it and the brush killer only knocks it back. Dang birds just spread that stuff everywhere. Lot of elderly folks in my town who don't maintain their land and it's growing everywhere. Saw where the utility company took down this massive three trunk ash up the road from us. It had two PI vines growing up that were as big around as my arm.


 
I inherited a property like that... and I am very seriously considering buying a couple goats and a dozen guinea fowl to eat the bamboo, honeysuckle, and chinese bittersweet that plagues my property... the "bushy" form of PI that exists in my area doesn't affect me... ever... the vine form that grows at my former MiL's house in KY.... kicks my arse... hard...


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## jdp1152 (Jan 23, 2013)

wingsfan said:


> That requires a doctors visit, witch isn't cheap now days without insurance.


 
Minute clinic will prescribe for PI.  No clue what it costs without insurance, but they gave me extra for the next spell.


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## Hearth Mistress (Jan 23, 2013)

This may seem weird but this soap works miracles on PI. It's been around for 100 years and it's usually on a top shelf near the laundry detergent at the grocery store, a few bucks a bar but its huge. I cut it in half, keep some in the bathroom for PI and the other half in the laundry room for stains. Check it out, it's not an old wive's tale, I swear it works!


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## elwoodps (Jan 24, 2013)

jdp1152 said:


> ... Cold water...cold water....cold water. Don't open your pores until you've scrubbed and rinsed several times....


 
+1

Hot or warm water causes the pores in your skin to dilate, so this warning should be heeded when trying to get any type of harmful substance (poison, caustic, corrosive, etc....) off of your hide.


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## WeldrDave (Jan 24, 2013)

Hearth mistress, Good call! my Mother used to keep that around the house when we were kids, It just went by the wayside for years and not thought of... as my memory serves me, it was good for insect bites as well, it burns like "hell" if it gets in the eyes though.


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## jdp1152 (Jan 24, 2013)

Bret Chase said:


> I inherited a property like that... and I am very seriously considering buying a couple goats and a dozen guinea fowl to eat the bamboo, honeysuckle, and chinese bittersweet that plagues my property... the "bushy" form of PI that exists in my area doesn't affect me... ever... the vine form that grows at my former MiL's house in KY.... kicks my arse... hard...


 
My next door neighbor had guinea fowl.  Those suckers are insanely loud.  Start squawking anytime someone walks or rides by on a bike.  My street is pretty secluded, so people from all around town come over here to walk.  The fowl are far enough away that it doesn't bother me that much, but I assume the the neighbor on the opposite side gets a pretty loud earful of them frequently.  I'm actually surprised the fowl have survived this long.  We have ample fox, coyote, and fisher cats in the area.


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## Flatbedford (Jan 24, 2013)

I didn't read the whole thread, but this might be a good read.
http://www.poison-ivy.org/index.htm


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## WeldrDave (Jan 24, 2013)

Flatbedford said:


> I didn't read the whole thread, but this might be a good read.
> http://www.poison-ivy.org/index.htm


 Great site!! Good info, Thanks....


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## bad69bird (Jan 25, 2013)

jdp1152 said:


> Don't pay for Technu. Palmolive does the same thing for a fraction of the price. You're washing at this point, you simply need something that pushes oil away into the water stream. Exposure has already happened, you're just trying to keep it from spreading by remaining on your skin. Cold water...cold water....cold water. Don't open your pores until you've scrubbed and rinsed several times.
> 
> Don't believe that rubbing alcohol or witch hazel help much either. They're simply solvents that give it more mobility to move away from the original spot of contact....most likely to a different spot on your body. Chemical composition does not change and both solvents evaporate quickly. Dousing yourself might help I guess. Using it on your tools is waste of money since water and detergent will accomplish the same thing. Even just higher pressured water for that matter.
> 
> ...


 Could be pure conicidence but I read that the rubbing alcohol nuetrlizes the oil and that you have roughly six hours to wash it off,  Since I read that I started using the alcohol and have been less careful working around it and I havent gotten more than a bubble or two.  Two years ago before I read that I was being careful knowing it was in the area and ended up at the doctors with my arms covered from my shoulder down and my eyes swelled shut


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