Does anyone know what I can use to kill poison oak? Dish soap and bleach did not work.
Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is. And you must bend to its power or live a lie.”― Miyamoto Musashi
"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens." ~ Jimi Hendrix
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Stephen Hawking
Craig
if i even
look at
pi or
po
i get bumpy and have had it 3 times this year...cattails yes....the other, you are on your own sister
Soap, bleach, and vinegar will not work. Short of using herbicides, the only things you can do are hand pulling, covering it with black plastic or newspaper (and this will take at least a year to kill the plant) and constantly cutting back the plant until the roots starve (and this can take several years depending on how well developed the root stock is. Salt or gasoline might work, but either of those will also kill anything else in the vicinity and will make the soil toxic for many years.
Have to agree with RickF... you will need some serious herbicides unless you want to remove it manually. Even strong solutions of herbicides took multiple applications spanning a year to eliminate it. It is nasty stuff. You might be able to find someone who is not affected by it and have them dig it out... but don't burn it afterwards because the smoke contains the vapored urushiol. Agricultural vinegar, bleach, etc. will burn the leaves but it just regrows with renewed vengeance. You need to starve the roots for a lengthy time (like a year or more). I wish my other plants were as easy to grow.
If you already have contacted it and need topical help, I found a product called Zanfel which I keep on my medicine shelf. http://www.zanfel.com
Get full strength herbicide that kills on contact...not via absorption through leaves (ie get brush killer). Get a small painter's paintbrush.
Cut the vine off near the base and paint it with the herbicide. It will die.
This eliminates overspray, contact w/ animals, babies, grandmas, whatever. lol
Andrea
Koi Health Care Committee Member
I think last time I used Ortho Max Poison Ivy & Tough Brush Killer Concentrate
Andrea
Koi Health Care Committee Member
Yep, Andrea's instruction is exactly what we do to get rid of poison oak. Brush Killer (her brand is good), full strength, brushed on.
Except we then take some black plastic sheeting and put it over the stump, held down with rocks or soil, so to keep the wound moist. We've found that helps the plant absorb it even better.
We only had to do this twice to one plant, but it was probably 30 years old or more, it had a trunk diameter of about 2.5 feet. Huge monster, but it did go down after the second treatment.
Regards,BarbJCome on by and visit both club's websites!
I dont like this side because as you can see my doxens runner is there and last week she had a rash on both the insides of her legs and itched like crazy. I had benadryl for her from the vet.
For organic removal.
1. Cut the vine at the point where it is exiting the ground.
2. Either dig it up or smother it at the ground level. To smother it cover it with cardboard and black plastic garbage bag. If you have spare pond liner or pond felt, that stuff works even better. The vines are very strong and will be able to break through landscaping fabric or plastic bags alone. Make sure the cover of it is weighted down and check it once a week to see if anything has escaped. Dig any escapees up.
3. The vine on the tree not that it is separated from its food source can be removed whenever. The urushiol stays active for a long time, think years...even if the plant is dead so take care accordingly.
When disposing of the plant debris, trash is best. Burning=bad as the oils can get in the smoke and cause all kinds of issues.
One thing you can do that is not organic but does minimize the amount of poison use is to do all the steps above and paint the stump of the plant with Ortho MAX Poison Ivy and Tough Brush Killer. (Stuff like Round-up isn't as effective in the spring.)
. You have to do this IMMEDIATELY after cutting the vine and cover ALL the surfaces of the stump, not just the cut edge.
Stacy