
Most gardeners have encountered poison ivy at some point, and it is not a fun experience.
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My grandmother told me years ago that the problem with poison ivy is that the sap sticks to your skin so you end up spreading it all over yourself when you're trying to wash it off. Now when I encounter poison ivy, I first use my hands (not a wash cloth) to wipe my skin down with rubbing alcohol to cut the sap. Afterward, I proceed to take a shower using soap and water. As a result, I have not had to use calamine or any of the other remedies because I've never had a breakout.
Poison ivy has taken over where my garlic is growing. My question is will the roots mix and would I get poison ivy rash from pulling the garlic cloves out and eating them?
Better suit up and wear gloves when it comes time to harvest your garlic. You can get a nasty rash from contact with any part of the plant, even the roots. Some of the oil could rub off on the plants but after they have been hung to dry and you remove the tops, the cured bulbs will be edible since the papery wrapper on the cloves will have protected them. After the garlic is out of that bed get to work pulling out the poison ivy so you can plant something there next year without worrying.
This is an informative article that I enjoyed, thanks. I've been allergic since I can remember, having had a bad reaction when as a toddler some older kids played a trick on me by mixing poison ivy with honeysuckle as we were sucking the nectar from the flowers, and living in the south, being a surveyor, and being outside most of my life. I've learned to immediately recognize poison ivy and oak in its many variants. Once as an adult, on a job with no other choice, but having to work in it and cut through poison ivy overgrown lot on a hot humid day, me and my helper ended up in the hospital. Yes, steroid shots work. This was many years ago, the drugs have gotten better.The best prevention is to stay out of it. Jewel weed works well, but who has jewel weed handy? Technu works well if used in time. Bleach bath followed by a cool shower if available as soon as possible. Having poison ivy or oak on my land is not an option for me. Drastic measures are in order, and that means spraying herbicide concentrated enough to kill it. You can plant your plants after you get rid of the bad stuff. If it's a large vine then chop the vine leaving about a foot gap in the vine between root side and top side and spray the root side of the vine where you created the wound so the plant will suck up the poison. This should be done early spring before it makes seeds.
I moved some dirt from the rear of my property to the front raised beds. Then I got horrible poison ivy. So I am not sure if I got it from roots in the soil, but there wasn't any actual leafy plants in it. (although I am highly allergic). But I am not sure if I should just scrap those beds because I don't want any potential ivy oils to end up on my food. THoughts?
I have used witch hazel and tea tree oil. both work well. even for my horses when they get into it.
I have pulled such large roots out that I fear I will hurt my back, they are so large I can not get them all out. I pull and encounter such large roots I feel defeated but I get them out or pour weed killer concentrate on them.
What freaks people out about me is that I'm not "Allergic" to it. I just pull them up bare handed and others can just walk by it (within 5 feet) and get it on them. Years ago I was White water canoeing and we set up our tents around the fire. The other two guys set there's up on the side with very little vegetation or weeds. I sat mine up on the other side and after we got back home, Both Frank and Danny had Calimine lotion all over them. I smiled and asked "Why do you have all that on"? They said "Didn't that Poison Ivy bother you? You set your tent up right in front of it and got in it behind your tent and we were on the other side about 15 to 20 ft. away"? I said "Nope, I'm not allergic to it and that's why I walked right in and thru it so it would get on me and on the way to the Put-In, I sat in the middle to make sure I got it on you two". hahaha After that, they didn't like it when I went with them again and made me ride in the back of the truck. They thought it would be funny for me to get all "Itchy and Scratchy" when I could care less and got it them so I could laugh at them.
Don't laugh too hard. I am 58 years old and have NEVER been effected by poison ivy. This year changed my 58 year run of good luck. I now am extremely sensitive to it. Old age brings misery!
That happened to me, too! I was allergy-free until I hit my mid-30's, and now (mid-50's), it seems I'm allergic to everything!
I heard somewhere that the more you expose yourself to poison ivy, the higher the chance you'll develop an allergy to it.
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