Poison Ivy Control

Poison Ivy Control

Most Effective Products

Eraser 41% Glyphosate
Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC)
As low as $15.63
Vision Pro Max Indicator Dye
Dye
As low as $29.99
Keith's Pro Tips

"One thing you can do if the Poison Ivy is in close proximity to desired plants is to paint the Poison Ivy with a brush rather than spray. If the Poison Ivy outbreak is bad enough, it may be worth sacrificing some desirable plants to eliminate the Poison Ivy.'

Poison Ivy Control: How To Get Rid of Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy is a popularly known plant, but mostly for negative reasons. Known scientifically as Toxicodendron radicans, Poison Ivy is a vine or shrub plant that likes to grow low to the ground or can spread up on trees and take over a landscape.

Poison Ivy is notorious for its reputation to cause allergic reactions like skin irritation, blistering, and burning sensations on any part of the body that comes in contact with it. Depending on just how sensitive your skin is and how it reacts to poison ivy, an encounter with this plant may result in a trip to the doctor's office to treat your rashes.

Poison Ivy can grow just about everywhere. Usually, it is seen along fencerows, roadside areas and in woody landscapes. Poison ivy is also found around residential areas in shrubbery, flower beds and along the perimeter of lots. Poison Ivy tends to sneak up on people because when it is in early growth, it may fly under the radar. Once it has fully grown, it can come to a surprise for people that Poison Ivy is growing on the property and they would have to warn their children not to play outside near it.

If there is Poison Ivy around on your property or garden, we can help. Our lawn care experts have put together a DIY poison ivy treatment guide which will show you, step-by-step, how to eliminate poison ivy quickly and affordably using our professional-grade herbicides.

Identification

Poison Ivy on Tree

Identifying Poison Ivy can be tricky because it has a resemblance to common backyard plants that are harmless including Virginia Creeper and the leaves of the Boxelder Tree. The appearance of Poison Ivy can vary with the leaves either looking shiny or dull and the leaf margins can be toothed or wavy, or have no teeth at all. Some Poison Ivy leaves are hairy while other types are totally hairless.

However, the most common trait of all Poison Ivy types is compound leaves comprised of three leaflets. The leaflets range between 2 to 5 inches in length and are green early in its development then turns bright red when fall arrives. The leaves are arranged in an alternate pattern on the stem.

If you can't identify the plant via appearance, the unpleasant way to identify is touching it and seeing if you get an allergic reaction from the oil resin which covers the plant called urushiol. We don't recommend touching it, but if you want a clear answer that you're dealing with Poison Ivy and not some other plant, that'll do it.

Use our description and image above to help you to identify poison ivy. If you are having trouble identifying Poison Ivy, contact us and we will help you properly ID the weed for you and offer herbicide recommendations for control.

Inspection

Where to Inspect

Poison Ivy can grow just about anywhere - on trees, on the ground, and on buildings. Often when people buy a new home, they will have no idea that poison ivy is growing on the siding and in the yard. This phase of the control program will help you to determine how much product you will need to conduct a successful treatment of the itch-inducing weed.

What To Look For

Poison Ivy is fairly easy to identify via its three leaflets that can be either smooth, scalloped, or irregularly toothed when it comes to its margins. Poison Ivy produces white, smooth berries that grow in clusters that birds enjoy eating without feeling any effects of its poison. The entire plant is poisonous due to the oil resin it emits called urushiol. This oil can be easily picked up on tools, clothes, and pet fur.

Treatment

When treating Poison Ivy, be sure that you are first properly geared up for the occasion. Wear long pants, long sleeves, gloves, and boots, covering as much skin as possible because you not only do not want poison ivy on your skin, you don't want to accidentally get chemicals on you either.

Unless you want to get rashes by trying to manually yank out poison ivy or cut them down, the best method of eliminating poison ivy is through the use of chemical herbicides. Use a non-selective herbicide like Eraser 41% Glyphosate which will easily kill off this plant. You can cut the plant back to a foot or so above ground level and apply glyphosate immediately.

Step 1: Measure and Mix Eraser

Mixing Eraser in a Sprayer

Eraser 41% Glyphosate is a solid non-selective herbicide option that will kill all sorts of invasive weeds, including Poison Ivy. Begin by first calculating the square footage of the area to be treated by measuring (in feet) and multiplying the area length times the width (length x width = square footage). To spot treat with Eraser, 1.5 oz. of product per gallons of water will treat 300 sq. ft. So for example, if you measured an area to be treated as 1,000 sq. ft. You would need to mix 8.33 fl. oz. in approximately 3.5 gallons of water.

Fill a pump sprayer or backpack sprayer halfway with the required amount of water and then add the appropriate measured amount of Eraser based on your calculations. Fill with the remaining half of water and agitate well to ensure the product is well mixed.

We also recommend adding a spray marking dye (like Vision Pro Max) to mark plants that have been sprayed and to tell if you are getting a sufficient amount of herbicide on the plant. For smaller spray applications using backpacks and small sprayers, use 0.30 oz., (approximately 2 tsp.) per three-gallon tank.

Step 2: Spray the Poison Ivy

Spraying Poison Ivy with backpack sprayer

Place the sprayer on a fan spray setting to ensure the poison ivy is even coated. Poison ivy, like the other plants in this family, is persistent, so repeated applications may be necessary to completely kill the plant. Afterward, wash all your clothing and equipment thoroughly to remove traces of the oil.

Prevention

Handpulling growing Poison Ivy weeds

If you are able to successfully kill off the poison ivy, you don't want it to make a return. Closely monitor your yard to check if Poison Ivy is regrowing. This should especially be done in the spring and summer since that is when poison ivy is actively growing. If patches begin to pop up, spray them with herbicides or yank them out. Again be careful and use gloves and wash the gloves afterward.

Key Takeaways

  • Poison ivy is an invasive leafy shrub that can grow in a variety of conditions and is a health hazard because the leaves contain an oil that irritates skin that comes in contact with it.
  • Our top recommendation to treat poison ivy is a post-emergent treatment of Eraser 41% Glyphosate.
  • Prevent a Poison Ivy return by monitoring your yard periodically and pulling out any young poison ivy plants that may emerge.
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