kolling@decwrl.DEC.COM (Karen Kolling) (05/11/86)
Someone asked about this recently. Here's an answer from the garden column in today's NY Times: Eradication of poison ivy is difficult and the process may require several years of work as the vines spread by creeping stems and strong rootstocks. The herbicide Ammate controls the vine and is most effective if applied when the poison ivy is in full leaf. The herbicide could be applied with a hose-end sprayer on a windless day, preferably in the morning. Follow label directions exactly. Effectiveness may not be seen for several days. More treatments may be needed as the young shoots and seedlings pop up. There are aerosol cans filled with 2,4-D (Ed: holey, moley, maybe you'd prefer the poison ivy) and MCPP foam that can also be used for spot treatments. Or some property owners can pull these seedlings up by gloved-hands; seedlings should be bagged and hauled away with trash; gloves, too. Never burn poison ivy.
wjr@frog.UUCP (STella Calvert) (05/22/86)
In article <2903@decwrl.DEC.COM> kolling@decwrl.DEC.COM (Karen Kolling) writes: >Eradication of poison ivy is difficult and the process may >require several years of work as the vines spread by creeping >stems and strong rootstocks. The herbicide Ammate controls >the vine and is most effective if applied when the poison ivy >is in full leaf. My junior high science teacher, many years ago, found an excellent way of keeping poison ivy to a minimum on her property. (Not eliminate it, just reduce it to where this violently allergic person could enjoy the outdoors -- poison ivy's almost impossible to destroy without painting your territory with herbicides (ooh, ick!)) Goats, you see, like the taste of poison ivy. Prefer it to many other things. So Tee rented a neighbor's goats to browse her land once or twice a month during the growing season. The goats got fed, their owner got a few bucks (sorry), and the poison ivy tended to disappear from places that goats could go. Since she wasn't as agile as a goat, this was good enough for her. But she had to be careful not to pet the goats after they'd been on the job, cause they'd just push through it. Anyone know why goats don't get poison ivy? Or why these goats didn't? STella (decvax!frog!wjr)