Polk County Master Gardeners
News Articles
Poison Ivy
Shortly after moving to Mena, I discovered that my yard, in addition to oak
trees, grows a bountiful crop of poison ivy. Bad news! If you’re going to garden
in Arkansas (as in much of the rest of the U. S.), you need to know a few things
about this unfriendly plant: how to recognize it, how (and whether) to attempt
to eradicate it, and what to do when it gets you.
Poison ivy is usually a thin vine with three notched leaflets spaced
alternately along the stems. Think of Virginia creeper minus two of the leaflets
and you’re pretty close to the classic poison ivy leaf. The leaves can vary
greatly in size, edges, and coloration. The vines can be anywhere from
pencil-lead size to huge vines two or three inches in diameter. The bigger vines
are covered with tiny roots making them look like fuzzy ropes. But pictures are
better. If you have access to the web, try
http://poisonivy.aesir.com/. Or go to the library - they will have pictures.
Poison ivy does its damage with an oily sap called urushinol that comes from
leaves, stems, roots, and fruit. The sap is released when the plant is bruised,
and poison ivy bruises easily. Animals brushing past it can get it all ready to
anoint you when you walk through. It doesn’t take much: supposedly ¼ ounce would
be enough to cause a rash for everyone on earth. Most people are moderately
sensitive to poison ivy: they may not get a rash the first time they are
exposed, but with repeated exposure, they will. A few people are usually
insensitive, although repeated exposure can frequently cause a rash for even
these. And a few unfortunate souls on the first exposure will have reddened
skin, clear blisters, and (in severe cases) oozing sores.
If you are so unlucky to find out about poison ivy the hard way, there are a
number of over-the-counter remedies to ease the itching. See your local
pharmacist. If the rash is severe, covering large portions of your body, or if
you have a fever, see your doctor. Whatever you do, it will probably take 12 to
48 hours for the rash to develop and 10 to 15 days for it to go away. It will
first develop in more sensitive places; less sensitive skin will take longer.
Repeated washing with soap and water may prevent the rash if you can get to the
faucet immediately. Ten minutes later it probably won’t help, although it may
prevent transfer of the sap from the original location to other parts of your
body. You cannot infect anyone else from the blisters or the fluid in them - you
can only transfer poison ivy to someone else if you pass on some of the sap that
caused the problem in the first place.
Getting rid of poison ivy is not easy. Cultivation is not really advisable
because it comes back from the roots unless cut down repeatedly, and repeated
exposure through attempts to cut it back can make almost anyone sensitive. Some
of its worst damage comes when it is airborne because of lawnmowers, trimmers,
or fire.
Chemical controls are effective, but require caution. Be sure to read the
labels to make sure that what you are buying will control poison ivy and follow
the directions exactly to be sure the cure is not worse than the disease.
But probably the easiest way is to recognize it when you encounter it, and
find another place for that new flowerbed.
By Barbara M. Tobias
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