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Can I get a confirmation if the pics below is poison ivy or not friendly for kids ?

the root system is stretched like vines underground. Is going on your knees pulling them out the best option? Thanks

pics https://photos.app.goo.gl/onNMs9SjXJ7EsG546 https://photos.app.goo.gl/xdYXTP8Rk2z9c4ot6

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  • Belongs in Gardening, and please insert the pictures directly. Of couse, the vote to close reasons STILL don't provide a useful option to redirect it to gardening (meta DIY is the ONLY option - how long has that been broken? All the time I've been here...
    – Ecnerwal
    Jun 11, 2020 at 14:32
  • Please edit your post to include the photographs; the rightmost button in the second group from the left above the post editor.
    – Niall C.
    Jun 11, 2020 at 14:44
  • @Ecnerwal because "request to move" isn't under "Close". It goes in Flag...Moderator Intervention... write 4 words... Jun 11, 2020 at 16:08

3 Answers 3

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Look around at the desirable plants nearby, and read the label on 2,4-D to see if that will have undesirable effects on any of them. Grasses and some woody plants are immune to 2,4-D if it's used in lawful quantities (you must obey the instructions on the label). Poison ivy, however, is killed good-and-plenty by it.

You'll still need to leave the area alone for several months... the irritants in poison ivy take a long time to degrade. DO NOT BURN IT.

Having had my life changed by herbicide I don't recommend them casually. 2,4-D is one of the oldest, and its toxicity (or rather, its lack) is extremely well-understood. It's patent-expired/generic, it's not tied to a popular brand name the way Roundup is, so no company has any stake in it. Nobody's lobbying or suppressing medical research or burying lawsuits or forcing their way around safety laws that limit the dangerous stuff to licensed applicators. In fact the industry would prefer 2,4-D go away so instead you'll buy products whose patents are still valid. In fact it's often the "weed" part in proprietary "Weed-and-seed" or "3-way" combo products that include fertilizer and/or pre-emergent broadleaf killers.

The deep burgundy concentrate like you get at farm supply is dangerously acidic, and can cause the kind of harm that acids cause. But you'd probably buy the lighter colored pre-mixed stuff at the home store.

Also, 2,4-D is not Agent Orange. The scary ingredient in Agent Orange was 2,4,5-T, totally different chemical. If manufactured stupidly, an impurity was created called dioxin. That's a 2,4,5-T problem, not a 2,4-D problem. Needless to say, you won't see 2,4,5-T at the box store.

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Yes. That is poison ivy. Wear gloves and long sleeves/pants. I usually have a large lawn/leaf bag nearby to drop it into as I pull it up, trying not to touch the top/outer sides of the bag so that I don't end up spreading the oil there and forgetting about it when I take the bag to the curb days later. Pull it up gently. The less breaking/shredding of stems and leaves, the less oil you'll release. Don't squeeze or crumple it. I try to trace the vine back to the source and pull it up there to minimize breakage. It will drop roots at several points along its path so watch for that. The oil can be active for days/months so either throw away the clothing you wear or wash it several times. I have a pair of poison ivy gloves in my shed that I use strictly for this task and I am extra careful when putting them on to not touch the outside.

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  • thanks for the helpful details
    – cjo
    Jun 12, 2020 at 12:20
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Yes. Depending where you are ,the vines may also be 20 ft+ high in trees. I would get rid of it differently, which I have done in my yard. Protective clothing - I would cut the stem at ground level and bag them . By cutting you don't risk inadvertent touching while wrestling roots out of the ground. IT WILL BE BACK, so pulling roots won't make a big difference . Plan on going back in a month and repeating for a couple years. Mine was very well established and identifying the vines and cutting them from trees was most of my effort. And keep an eye open for new seedlings in new locations.

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