I wonder if you wouldn't want to research a little more before adding too much...It wouldn't be good for an area where you'd like to replant acid loving or salt sensitive plants like azaleas and rhododendrons, heathers.

We don't have poison ivy so I haven't had reason to use it...I have sparingly used powdered bleach alternative (generic Clorox II) on moss in paths with good results.

Here is a link that might be useful: Colorado State, bleach as herbicide

Way to go, X! Sorry, but I've been a sufferer of poison oak rashes one too many times, so I celebrate the death of the ivy, too. :D

Did you plan on planting any acid-loving plants there in the future?

Brenda

I'm not to worried about alkalinity since there are pine needles everywhere. When I spray, I'm as careful as I can be concerning other plants. I tend to think it would take gallons to alter the soil significantly even after reading the link Mor posted. Besides, it's easily correctible.

I like the instant results I got with the bleach.Those leaves were curling up and cringing 4 hours after application! I noticed there was little damage on the other plants that surrounded the ivy, which makes me think that poison ivy may be particularly susceptible to it.

X

Rosa, that was a very good point. I occasionally use Finale (rather than Roundup) for some toughies like horsetail and blackberry, and it seems to take longer to work - but will really kill the offending plants - when slightly diluted from the container directions. Although I think most people would think stronger is better - it's not better long term.

Yeah, I'm fighting an epic battle with field bindweed, with roots from Hell. "Slow death" is the proper prescription. Gotta get the herbicide into the ROOTS. Burning or chopping the tops is counterproductive.
I don't know anything about erradicating poison ivy. Does it have a substantial root mass? Looks like it would, based on the mass of greenery I see in the picture.

Yeah-burning or chopping the tops of many invasive weeds like this just makes them madder than h#!!-they tend to resprout more vigorously from root buds afterwards. Vinegar doesn't work on Canada thistle either unless you count double the number you started with as some kind of a bonus...grrrrr.

And sorry to hear about you bindweed probs john. Are the Aceria mites available in your area as a biological control option?

Furthermore, burning any plant containing urushiol (poison ivy, oak, or sumac all do) will result in airborne urushiol floating in the smoke. This can cause severe reactions in anyone downwind. My husband was playing in his backyard when he was 12 years old and grabbed some dead poison ivy and threw it into the garbage fire. He awoke the next morning with pain in his lungs and throat and his head was swollen. He could not open his eyes. I'm not sure how long it took this condition to clear up but you can be sure he learned his lesson about burning poison ivy! (He also happens to be one of those people who has more severe reactions than the average so he really does his best to steer clear of it in any form. Last year he mowed his father's lawn and although he didn't see any poison ivy on the fence when he mowed next to it, he got a severe rash on his right leg which caused pain right through the muscle and took about 5 months to completely clear up. He still has a slight pink discoloration on that area of his leg.)

I'm going to be trying Bry84's solution to these long rooted plants this year, 'put them into a bucket of low solution roundup and let them grow'.
I believe this has a lot of potential.

I totally agree that the highly satisfying damage to the poison ivy leaves is just cosmetic and not permanent.

Another factor to consider is the soil contamination. Contrary to belief, pine needles are only very mildly acidic in reaction with the soil and don't have much of an effect at all. I sure wouldn't let too much of the run off get into the soil.

Has anyone tried any of the de-sensitizing remedies for poison ivy prevention? I quite a few outdoor workers who swear by it and get themselves 'fixed up' every spring.

You might try using Clear Out (it is like Round Up) which is sold at Rural King and probably other farm stores. My husband uses it on his fields. I think it might be a nitros solution. Just be sure not to use it on your other plants. My husband has said NOT to spray it on ground where corn has been planted but, it can be sprayed on ground where soybeans have been planted.
Hope this helps you some!

You might want to try something with the active ingredient triclopyr. I've been buying it as Ortho's Brush B Gone spray. Good on all kinds of woody weeds like poison ivy, and it is supposed to get the roots. Last time I checked the recommendations in our local Cooperative Extension booklet, triclopyr was what they recommended as an herbicide for poison ivy.

It's far from "safe and organic", though.

Triclopyr in that form does work well on woody vines as you state. The primary safety issue with this particular active ingredient is corrosivity, and precautions should be taken to protect the eyes of the applicator, as the label should state.

I heard that after coming in contact with this poison ivory bleach will prevent you from getting a rash

I seriously doubt that using bleach, even though it is very alkaline, to kill weeds of any kind would change the soils pH much. It would take many gallons to make any significant change. However, since bleach is a very effective bacteria stat it will kill off your soil bacteria rendering your soil sterile, probably for a long time and for that reason should not be used for weed control.

I am looking for something that will kill everything, then make the ground sterile so that nothing will grow back.

I think anything that could prople the oil apart would work? I am thinking maybe stuff used for cat/dog urine since that attacks protein. Is oil a protein base concept? Poision Ivy from what I read is saturated in its oil, so disrupt the oil then you cut the plant. I saw a receipe for 2 cups of bleach, 1/2? cup of hydrogen peroxide (?) and 1 cup of salt? I thought the Hydrogen would react to the bleach? Oh well.

Benadryl cream works well on the skin (:))

Hum. Makes me wonder if Dawn would kill these things internally since it disrupts the oil. Dawn and warm water? Who knows. What about vinegar and Dawn? That should wreck havoc on the system--and safer on the soil than bleach, probably will not linger as long either?

Look what I found:
http://www.gardenguides.com/93820-kill-poison-ivy-vinegar/

i cutted leaves from my fence nd when i was done my face felt swollen nd it was kinda red..!! are these symptoms of posipn ivy.!! i washd my hands asap took clothes off nd showr asap ..!!! redness nd swelling went down nd icthyness kinda went down..! does posion ivy spread through out your body..!!?????

Poison ivy does not grow because it has oils, it has oils because it grows.

No, Kate, poison ivy is not systemic, it is a contact dermatitis and can't be spread further once the oil (urishiol) is gone.

Although the original post is about 6 years old, anyone still reading should know that 2 days is not enough time to know if one has killed poison ivy.

For more information about what poison ivy looks like, how to kill it, how the urishiol works to cause a rash, etc... please use the internet which you have used to find this discussion and consult reputable sources, such as universities and county extension services, to educate yourself. Old wives' tales are fun but poison ivy should be taken more seriously.

Someone mentioned desensitizing remedies. Do you know what they consist of ?

Well I'd wouldn't hesitate to use it on poison ivy but my dad used it to kill dandelions on the lawn once and there were brown spots on the lawn for about three years.

Desensitizing remedies have been looked at for many years with no success. Your best defense is to know what Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, and Poison Sumac look like and avoid making contact with them, or know what to do right away of contact is made.

Spraying bleach to kill plants is an inappropriate use of the product and is not an environmentally sound practice.

kimmq is kimmsr

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7 said that his workers use something to desensitized themselves against poison ivy. I'm hoping rhino_1(North AL) zone 7 is still following this discussion.

Some people will have little to no reaction to the urushiol produced by the Poison Ivy, Oaks, and Sumac while others can have a very severe reaction sometimes to the point of difficulty breathing. To date no one has found a successful way to desensitize anyone if their immune system did not already provide that.

kimmq is kimmsr

You are wrong kimmq.

http://m.thestar.com/#/article/news/world/2012/04/03/poison_ivy_vaccine_shows_promise.html?referrer=https:%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

And basically, calling rhino_1 a liar.

HPT-721

I am looking for natural remedies to desensitized myself from poison ivy. I have spoken with people who received folk medicine that worked to stop their reaction to poison ivy as children.

In 2012 clinical trials of HPT-721 were started. I can find nothing more about this product except that if the trials were successful an pharmaceutical company was licensed to market it. I see nothing to indicate that the FDA has approved this drug.

kimmq is kimmsr.

Yes the FDA cares so much about the people of USA. http://m.ibtimes.com/gmo-apples-potatoes-approved-fda-labeling-not-required-1854280 Anyway this is way off topic, so you win kimmq. There is no such thing as desensitizing yourself from poison ivy. Moving on.