Poison Ivy

Poison ivy is common throughout the United States, but many homeowners still have trouble identifying it. Let’s take a close look at identification, it’s irritating qualities and how to get rid of this pest.

The plant is a vine. It is very adaptable from dense shade to full sun. It can occur as a self-supporting woody shrub, as a thin trailing vine running along the ground, or as an aerial-rooted vine growing up trees, power poles or fences.

No matter the growing habits, all poison ivy has a distinctive leaf pattern of three leaflets occurring alternately along the stem. All forms of the plant are poisonous.

Poison ivy is irritating. The oil from the leaves produces an allergic reaction in many people that causes blisters and severe itching.

Poison ivy is spread through our landscape by birds eating the berries and passing them through their digestive systems. We often see small volunteer plants along fence rows and growing under trees. When you think about it, this is where birds like to congregate.

It is not hard to control poison ivy, especially when it is young. The best method is to spray the leaves with common broadleaf weed control products like Trimec or Weed No More. Use the regular spray rate. Poison ivy becomes more difficult to control when it becomes a thick vine. Cut or chop the thick vine close to the ground, then carefully pour a small amount of concentrated weed control product directly on the stump of the vine. Wait a few weeks or even a month. If there is no new growth from the stump, your plant is dead. If it sprouts new leaves from the stump, you probably need to use a brush control product. You can buy a small container of this product at a garden center or the lawn department of many chain stores.