[Community_garden] how to deal with poison ivy

[Fred Conrad]

Morgan,

Say, I'm one of those people who are inexplicably profoundly reactive to
P.I.  Get a little bit on one finger, the next day I'm rashy on both
arms, three days later I'm chewing benadryl like it was peanuts!

However, I am not afraid of it and I don't let it send me running for a
bottle of petroDeathChemical5000dioxinPCB with an LD of .000000001ppm.

Personally, I find that mowing kills it.  Obviously, don't use a
weed-eater because it would send clouds of particles wafting through the
valley, but push mowers usually don't (unless you take off the discharge
chute).  The one climbing the pole, just get a machete and chop it off
at the base and then again about a foot up and then wipe the machete off
in the grass.

You get little sprouts popping back up fairly persistently, but since
you have to cut the grass every week or two, that normally is enough to
deplete the carb store and by the next fall you're all good.

We have one garden where we eliminated it from the ground but left it
climbing up a couple pecans and a pin cherry.  As Don mentioned... 60
song bird varieties eat the berries.  And some years it has a terrific
fall color.  We just ask the gardeners to not climb the trees.

That's my two cents.
fgc

-----Original Message-----
From: community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org
[mailto:community_garden-bounces at list.communitygarden.org] On Behalf Of
Kuberek, Morgen
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 4:15 PM
To: community_garden at list.communitygarden.org
Subject: [Community_garden] how to deal with poison ivy

Hi there-

 

I'm a fairly new member of the listserv and haven't posted anything
before, but am always inspired by the amount of activity generated here.
I have a question about poison ivy that some of you may be able to
answer.  As part of my job, I've been assigned to develop a community
greenspace in a somewhat distressed neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio.  I'm
heartened to hear about all of your positive experiences in areas like
these.  I'm very much interested in sustainability, and the role that
community gardens and greenspaces can play, but I admit that I don't
know very much about gardening (my experience is limited to the
container gardens on my apartment balcony).  I'm trying to get up to
speed quickly, as you can imagine. 

 

We hope to have several solid volunteers by the spring time, but before
I can get anyone out at the site, I have a major poison ivy problem to
manage.  We have one electrical pole with so much poison ivy on it that
you could mistake it for a tree ( I am calling the power company about
that one), but we also have poison ivy just generally throughout the
site and the neighboring yard.

 

Does anyone know the best way to get rid of the poison ivy this winter
before volunteers get out there?  Is there an organic herbicide that I
should consider?  Do I have to dig up the site or is there a spray
application? What if it snows after the application?  How long before
planting of the other plants would I need to do this (in other words,
would it's presence in the soil kill the other plants?)

 

Thanks for all your help.  I'm hoping to clear this up before it causes
a delay in the start of our project.

 

Morgen Kuberek

Americorps Member

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL:
http://list.communitygarden.org/pipermail/community_garden_list.communit
ygarden.org/attachments/20080102/2b3c71a0/attachment.html
_______________________________________________
The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of
ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and
to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org

To post an e-mail to the list:
community_garden at list.communitygarden.org

To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription:
http://list.communitygarden.org/mailman/listinfo/community_garden_list.c
ommunitygarden.org
Confidentiality Notice:  The information contained in this e-mail message is legally privileged and confidential   

information intended only for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed.  If the reader of this 

message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution or copy 

of this e-mail message and attachments is strictly prohibited.  If you have received this message 

in error, please delete it in its entirety.