Poison Ivy Plan

[this post is slightly out of order, but I want to get it out there] I’m figuring on a plan of attack for the two areas of poison ivy in the yard.  This means starting with permission and preventive barriers and ending with appropriate disposal and cleanup.  Here’s a rough bulleted list.

• First I need to talk to my neighbors and get access to their yards to take care of this nasty.
• Get Ivy Block or some other pi barrier.
• Get Tecnu or some other product for cleanup.
• Trash bags
• Stock up on either regular vinegar or concentrated vinegar.
• Lay out protective gear, including long sleeves and long pants–preferably something I wouldn’t mind throwing out after.

Preparation.

• Slather myself in Ivy Block, which can be thought of as similar  to sunblock.  It supposedly prevents urushiol, the active ingredient in poison ivy (as well as poison oak, poison sumac, and cashews) from getting to your skin.
• Don the protective clothing, including rubber gloves, to keep the ivy from the skin.
• Tools: clippers, plastic bags for containing the clippings, homemade organic ivy-cide, boiling water

In Action

• Get out there and carefully, thoroughly remove the existing plant, clipping and bagging until there is only root.
• Pull as much of the root as is possible, while leaving some visible.
• In the hedge I want to expose the root so that any new sprouts will be visible.
• In the other location, where there are no other plants nearby, I’ll pour in boiling water at least, and probably the vinegar too.

Disposal and Cleanup

• After bagging it I’ll double bag to make sure there is no urushiol on the outside of the bag.
• Wash the clippers with Tecnu
• Remove protective clothing and wash with Tecnu.
• wash skin with Tecnu (it better work!).

Followup

• Watch watch watch for any return from the plant.