Poison Ivy

By Ms Sherry

When you garden you deal with a lot of factors–insects, drought, too much rain, great successes and failures, weeds, beauty, and even illness. Just last week the doctor confirmed that I had poison ivy. After looking carefully at my rashes he asked me if I had been in the yard. I sheepishly admitted that I had–probably without proper protection–gloves, long pants, long sleeves–the whole protective gear. But every gardener knows what it is like: walk in the yard–a stray weed catches your eye and, before you know it, your hands are dirty and your clothes are stained. Since suffering with several bouts of poison ivy, I have tried very hard to be careful—following that old warning “leaves of three let it be.” I thought, perhaps, a refresher course in poison ivy (a.k.a. p.i.) recognition might be necessary. A trip down google lane to a site with edu in the address—to help me get the most accurate information—seemed in line. So in hopes of sparing you an itchy episode please let me share what I learned with you:
• 70 percent of folks who rub up against p.i. are allergic to it
• Best way to avoid it is to stay away from it; the best way to stay away from it is to know what it looks like—seems pretty sensible. If we all recognized this weed,  companies producing thousand of jars of healing potions would soon be out of business. From the rows of product lined up on the shelf, apparently we are doing a pretty poor job of recognizing this plant enemy.
• “Poison ivy is a woody perennial that forms vines. Its appearance can change depending on where it grows; p.i. can form a carpet on the ground, climb tree trunks, walls, fences, etc; the edges of the leaflets can be lobed, smooth or toothed; it can grow in the open, in deep shade, along a path, the edges of a road or among other vines.” Guess that is why a diagnosis of p. i. is so common.
• It is true there are three leaflets on a leaf stalk; two leaflets grow on opposing sides of the stem and the third is at the end of the stalk by itself. The stems are woody.
• P.I can have a slightly different color and appearance at each season; new growth can be reddish and shiny; plants have have a cluster of green flowers after the leaves emerge; p. i. fruit has a white waxy appearance and can look like mistletoe.
• Summer foliage is either dull or glossy green; fall foliage can be red, orange, or yellow.
• It can grow and turn up anywhere—from birds dropping the seeds to creeping roots.
• The culprit in p.i. is a very toxic substance called urushiol found in the leaves, stems, fruit, flowers and root; if you are sensitive to p.i. and touch any of those parts, a rash will soon follow. If you touch contaminated hand tools, pets, or inhale smoke from plants being burned, you may develop a rash depending on your sensitivity and your exposure; the oil can stay harmful for two weeks or longer, especially when it is dry.
• P.I. is toxic in all plants, all year, but worse in the spring
• Even a little bit of urushiol can give you a reaction–how much oil and how quickly you can wash it off may affect how bad a rash you get. Thicker skin (like your palms) is less susceptible, unless you wipe your palm across your brow; then you have it on your face. If you are hot and sweaty, the pores open up and you become much more susceptible (and typically the summer gardener in the south is sweating); voila–poison ivy.
• Some folks say p.i. doesn’t bother them at all; not everyone gets a reaction the first time they come into contact with the plant. Repeated exposure will result in more severe reactions. Some folks “seem” to be immune, but probably it just takes exposure to larger amounts of urushiol to get a rash.
• When I have to remove p.i. in my garden, I use the double bag trick. I put my hand inside a plastic grocery store bag, pull it up by the root (if I can) then turn the sack inside out, being careful not to touch the ivy, stuff the whole thing inside another sack and dispose of it.
• Most of us know what the symptoms are; as a precaution, however, I will alert the uninitiated–a terrible, burning itch and a rash with watery blisters. Someone else touching your rash can’t contract p.i. It does not spread from one part of the body to another. A well meaning person told me that I would spread my own particular case everywhere I scratched—but scratching itself doesn’t spread the rash, unless you still have urushiol under your fingernails. But if you still have urushiol on your skin or clothing and someone else touches that substance, then the p. i. can spread from one person to another. And if you spread urushiol from one part of your body to another, then the p.i. can spread all over you. That is how it gets everywhere—from our hands to our faces, to our necks–well you get the idea. A pet frolicking in the woods or the grass makes an ideal carrier. As soon as you pet your pet, the urushiol is on you, too. Hand tools that have been contaminated also can spread the chemical.
• Possibly the only defense against poison ivy is the same defense as against other illnesses–good hygiene. If you think you have been exposed (or just as a good preventative) wash your hands and under your fingernails with plenty of soap and water–as soon as possible. Even 10 minutes exposure can cause a reaction. If you have any concerns as to what else may have been exposed, a good shower never hurts. But wash with cold water as the hot water opens the pores and will help the oil to be absorbed.
• If your case isn’t too bad, something over the counter from the local pharmacy may help as does cold compresses. It takes about two weeks to finally disappear. But if you are really miserable (scratching, fever, loss of sleep, lots of coverage, or a rash very close to your eyes), you may need to see a doctor.
• There are products sold over the counter that are supposed to help keep you from getting a rash if you touch the urushiol. I have not used any of them, so I am not sure how they work. But if you already have a rash, the product can’t help.
• Getting rid of poison ivy can be tricky. You can try constantly mowing or cutting the young shoots until they die. You can pull up the vines, You can dig up the roots. But if you leave any part of the root it will be back. (But remember–cover yourself good when attempting any of these methods; launder your clothes; clean your tools.)
• DO NOT BURN POISON IVY! The poison goes up in smoke, which can produce an allergic reaction in your eyes, or on your skin, or in your respiratory tract. Beware areas where folks are burning portions of their property or woodlands if you are sensitive to poison ivy.
• A product such as glyphosate (i.e., Round Up) can be used to control the vine. READ THE LABEL before applying to protect nearby planting. Best time to apply a weed killer is in late August to October. It may not be necessary to spray an entire plant to destroy it; you can just paint the leaves. Here again you must be cautious as this kind of product can kill anything around it; never spray on a windy day.
• Your best protection is to know what poison ivy looks like and then avoid it. Wear protective clothing when you think you may come into contact with it. Keep an eye on your pets. If you do touch it, wash immediately. Apply chemicals carefully in late summer.

• This article was written with information form the Home and Garden Education Center at the University of Connecticut College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and my own experiences.