Greetings from the other side of the Rockies!! Yes, Ontario. The reason I'm looking for advices on Poison Ivy is that I'm in charge of a Mountain Bike network in the province of Québec and have been one of many to suffer the effects of this pest's .(not fun at all.) So,having to deal with many provincial regulations concerning pesticides and whatnots, I am looking for a way to IRRADICATE this pest without having to go throught another two weeks of constantetly wanting to scratch myself(just writting,thinking about it makes me itch). So far I have found that digging the plant out is the best solution(meaning getting in contact with the plant again,(not my best idea... You get paranoid about getting even close to this plant once you contracted it's effects ) I also heard that spraying the plant with ''Ecoclear'' throughtout the season is an alternative(which is accepted by the government of Québec). Any comments??? Does anybody know if there is a time of the year where the plant generates less ''toxicodendrol'' meaning less chances of contracting the ''itchy feeling'' again? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. I
as far as i know you can get it whenever, time of year doesn't matter. i have had it this past winter when it was dormant and pretty much all summer long when it is fully leafed out. I have read and actually believe it now that I have had it so many times, that you can even get it after it has been dead. As long as the urushiol "oils" are present, you can get it. the oils are on the leaves, vine, and roots. I live in an area where you can use pesticides so we have many options for controlling it. I mostly deal with it when it is climbing up trees, so I just use a chainsaw to cut the vine at the base. Our city parks department purchases this three week treatment for all employees to prevent contracting it. They get it from a local pharmacy that "compounds" medicine. It comes in three small vials and you take one a week before you come into any contact. Some people swear by it, but I have yet to take mine: one, haven't had a time all summer where I haven't had it somewhere on my body, and two it scares me a bit to drink any form of it. good luck.
Sounds like an uphill battle, too. Poison ivy loves disturbed sites with a bit of sunshine - exactly the kind of conditions one would find along a mountain bike trail.
the preventative treatment is likely "Oral Ivy" a product I have never used but, have heard many stories of success about. The ecoclear youmentioned is a strong acetic acid product (vinegar) which may or may not be effective at killing some of the foliage off when applied.
I knew that you can contract it all year round,actually it is residual left in or on clothing that you probably wore and came in contact with during spring,summer or fall.The most common reason that people contract it during the winter are shoe laces, people don't think of washing them. When I did contract it,even my bike got washed!!! I had lots of time(two weeks) to research this pest. Hmmm,a three week treatment,that sounds interesting,is this product available in Canada or do you reside in the US? What is the name of this miracle drug,compound? Daniel,it's a uphill and downhill battle just like riding.
The product I have is probably the same thing. Look for a pharmacy that compounds medicine. This comes in three small test tube looking things and has maybe 1/4 teaspoon in each. shoelaces huh? that makes sense. I had it on my face in the winter. i probably tied my shoes and touched my face or something because I know for certain I didn't rub against it with my face, I didn't even remember being around it.
Great,now I can build up my immune system agaisnt the effects of poison ivy.Thank you very much!!!! But the battle is NOT over yet,I spent the day yesterday,trying to find the poison ivy plants in my trail network withoutany success. Correct me if I'm wrong,the leaves at this time of year take a yellow-orange tint. Will the fruits (cream colored little balls) still be present on the plant.
Yes, yellow-orange-green - the surface will still look glossy and oily, too. Fruit can sometimes persist over winter, from what I recall.
I used to get poison ivy anywhere and anytime,yes in the winter too.and whenever anyone burned the weeds,or grasses along the roadways.I got it from the smoke.It almost put me in the hospital one time that I had it very bad.My grandfather asked an old Indian friend about treating me at one time and was told to get the wild forget-me-not,crush the juicy stem and wipe the juice on the rash. It worked.My rash was gone the next morning.The wild forget-me-not likes moist,usually shaded areas and has cornacopia shaped small flowers that are orange in color with dark spots.The leaves are 1-2 inches in length and have jagged edges.The stems are somewhat translucent.Good luck,I know of no way to irradicate the plant.
