Joe White: Here's what you need to know about poison ivy

Poison ivy is a wild vine that commonly invades established landscapes and, unfortunately, is a vigorous grower even under unfavorable environmental conditions. While it thrives in wet weather, dry conditions seem only to slow it down. General recommendations are to use herbicides, such as Round-Up (glyphosate) in the spring when the foliage is still young and tender and when new plants of it are developing. However, any time when the leaves can be drenched with an appropriate herbicide (especially when it is actively growing) some degree of control can be achieved.

Often it is in our landscapes well before we’re aware of its presence. That’s because it hides behind plantings of large shrubs and board fences, but you will find it also between large shrubs. Where it is really hard to deal with is when it interweaves with ground covers and decorative vines. Such a situation makes it hard to eliminate the poison ivy without also killing the decorative vines or ground covers. I am told that with Asian Jasmine a spray of one percent glyphosate will kill the ivy without damaging the jasmine ground cover.

Don’t expect to kill poison ivy by simply cutting the vine. This method is ineffective as several parts of the plant remain in the ground and each is capable of giving rise to a new plant. This is where only chemical elimination will suffice.

But the aggressive spread of this vine is not the worst part. Rather, it contains a substance to which many people are allergic. Although it only produces a rash which causes an uncomfortable itch for some people, others may need to get appropriate shots from a doctor or medical clinic. If you don’t know if you are allergic to poison ivy, never touch it and burning the vine either by itself or as part of other brush will produce a smoke that gives the same effect and maybe worst if it’s inhaled.

If a poison ivy vine is climbing a tree, cut the vine about a foot above the ground and apply a strong herbicide to the cut surface of the stump. That part of the vine above the cut will have lost its lifeline to the soil and will die while the herbicide applied to the stump will be translocated to any underground parts and hopefully, all will be killed.

In tight places where a herbicide spray would kill desirable plants along with the ivy, here is a technique that has worked well: Mix the herbicide in an open bucket. Put on the hand to be used to make the application a rubber glove and put a cheap cotton glove over the rubber glove. Dip the gloved hand in the solution and remove any excess solution by pressing the hand against the inside of the bucket. Then carefully wipe the ivy leaves with the solution. Keep a bucket of water nearby to rinse any chemical off of desirable plant leaves quickly.

Joe White is a retired horticulturalist with the

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Joe White: Here's what you need to know about poison ivy