The toxic resin that causes a poison ivy rash is called urushiol, and it is present in every part of the plant: the leaves, stems, flowers, berries, and roots. This resin may provide a slight gloss or shiny hue to help distinguish it from nonpoisonous plants. In other words, no part of the plant is safe to touch.
2. Shoot for Ideal Removal Conditions
“Poison ivy is slightly easier to manage in the winter, when it’s leafless, though there are still irritants present in the stems and branches,” says Michael Cook, owner of TruGreen Midsouth, a lawn care company with offices in Mississippi and Louisiana. Windy days can also make it more difficult to remove poison ivy without brushing against it. Also, if you’re using a herbicide, the wind can blow that onto your other plants — or onto you.
3. Assemble Your Tools
A sharp trowel or a shovel should work well for removing poison ivy roots. You can also use shears or pruners to remove the vines or branches first.
4. Dress Appropriately
This is critical and the only way to prevent your skin from coming in contact with the plant. Wear long pants, long sleeves, work boots, and heavy-duty rubber gloves. To be extra-safe, seal the space between your pants and boots with duct tape.
5. Attack Thoroughly but Carefully
Poison ivy has a complex root system, so if you remove the plants above ground but don’t get rid of the roots, it will continue to grow, notes the Farmers’ Almanac. Use shears or pruners to remove the stems. (Do not tear or rip the vines, as this may disperse the urushiol into the air.) Then dig out the roots about eight inches below the plant. “To make sure the [extracted] roots are dead, you can douse them with boiling water, suffocate them with mulch, or spray them with a commercial herbicide,” says Cook.
6. Choose the Right Herbicide
If you are comfortable using an herbicide, use one containing glyphosate. “Glyphosate will penetrate the ivy and kill it from the inside out,” says Gena Lorainne, a horticulturist and planting expert at Fantastic Services, in London. “You may have to use a higher concentration than usual.” Cook explains that herbicides are typically sprayed on the leaves, which kills the plants from the top down. It’s less labor-intensive than pulling the plants out by hand, but it can also leave healthy roots behind in the soil, and there’s potential that your poison ivy will return. You should not use a herbicide and then attempt to remove the poison ivy by hand, because then you’ll be at risk of skin contact with the poison ivy itself, as well as chemicals in the herbicide. It’s also not advisable to remove the poison ivy by hand and then use herbicides on top of that to make sure you got the roots, because that introduces chemicals into healthy soil and can potentially impact other plants in the area. Remember to use extreme care when handling these herbicides, as the spray will kill all other garden plants it touches. Always follow the directions on the label for safest use.
7. Bag It
Put all the poison ivy leaves and branches in heavy-duty plastic bags to dispose of it. Don’t burn it, as that will release urushiol into the air, potentially causing severe irritation to your eyes and lungs. It’s also risky to put poison ivy into your compost bin, says Cook, because you may end up tossing it back into your garden later. Washing your skin with cool water is recommended because hot water will open your pores and let any urushiol that may have gotten onto your skin in. If a rash develops, says Suzanne Friedler, MD, a dermatologist in New York City, use calamine lotion and an over-the-counter steroid cream. If it persists, see your doctor, who may prescribe a stronger cream or a course of oral steroids.
What If You Have a Lot of Poison Ivy to Clear?
For people who need to clear a large area of poison ivy — such as a public park, school campus, or entire field — digging it out by hand may be impractical and using an herbicide undesirable. Fortunately, there’s another option. More and more people in this situation are turning to goats, which, like other farm animals, can eat poison ivy without getting a rash or developing any other health problems. (But they can pass the urushiol from their hair to your skin, so don’t touch animals grazing on poison ivy.) Goats have been used for many years to clear land of other invasive plant species, such as briars and kudzu. Now, a growing number of goat rental companies are coming to the rescue of land managers who need to eradicate large swaths of poison ivy. The rental company typically fences off the area to be cleared and lets the goats loose to eat their fill until the poison ivy is gone. Still, because goats don’t get to the roots of the plants, they may have to make return visits. Some goat rental companies have a minimum acreage for which they’ll rent out goats, but with goat-grazing services a growing industry, even homeowners with modest yards may be able to find goats for hire in some areas.
