Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss poison ivy

I have some areas around my pond that are infested with poison ivy. I use Brush B Gone and that kills it off for the year, but the next spring it is back. I need something to kill the roots as well. What is a good product to use to wipe it out for good ???? I don't want to contaminate my pond but some of it is right on the bank.

Ortho Brush Killer...8% trichlopyr....

I use Remedy to kill trees and woody stemmed plants.

I doubt that you will ever wipe it out for good.

I took an area that I could get to the roots and used a pick axe to pull the roots up out of the ground. I then sprayed the roots with Brush B Gone and that seemed to kill that area, at least this year nothing has grown there. I cannot do that in most areas. I guess it will just have to be a once or twice a year festival for my family. Mix up the chemicals and wage war on the IVY !!! I will get some Brush killer and some remedy and hit a couple areas and see what works. Thanks !!

Dont need to get both. They are both solutions of trichlopir. They will kill the roots if sprayed on the leaves.

I just looked up Brush be Gone, and it is also a solution of trichlopyr. Use a strong solution if you still have some. Put some liquid dish detergent in the mixture so it sticks better. Pouring it on the roots is not the intended use. Is is designed to translocate from leaves to the roots systemically.

I know you don't want to burn poison ivy because it is very toxic. Is it best to spray it in the spring and then in the summer try to rip it out of the ground? I swear I get a rash from just being around it when the wind blows. I need a white chemical suit and some dynamite. Dave said it and alot of people tell me, you will never kill it. That sounds like a challenge to me and I want get rid of it.

Monsanto\'s Round up continues to be the standard of the industry for systemic weed and woody brush eradication in my neck of the woods. If the vegetation to to be eliminated grows with Rhizomes thru the soil, the last thing you want to do is pick at the roots. Even the tiniest root section that has been detached from the host plant will propogate to another. Fortunately for us Ivy haters, the best way is the easiest. Spray the leaves (and stem for woody veg) and let it alone to die.

But it's best not to use Roundup around the pond. Other broadleaf killers (Rodeo, IIRC) have much more pond-friendly surfactants.

although poison oak grows somewhat differently than poison ivy, my wife and i have successfully cleared several acres of the stuff as follows:

don appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment)

prune back clumps or vines removing most of the above ground parts of plant....

saturate (with sprayer) the pruned stems and any remaining leaves with a double the recommended mixture of "brush be gone" concentrate.

on any sprouts coming back in early spring when leaves are tender, a double strenght mixture of "weed be gone" concentrate finishes off the plants.

good luck mr. miller

I don't have any Brush Be Gone but just headed to the garage to check on the Remedy. It shows to have 61%, including the trich, active ingredients. I have no idea whether it takes more than 8% or the cost difference but Remedy is expensive stuff.

DD1
Do you mix the remedy with diesel or water for the ivey?I wanted to try it on ivey but I always mixed with diesel for mescites because the water mix didnt give a good kill rate but didnt want it that close to the pond.Any info would be greatly appr.Like Mike I get a rash just looking at it.BTW,my grandkids arent too fond of it either.
Tom G

If spraying as a foliar, I mix with water. When spraying around the base, I mix with diesel. I get poor results trying to spray the oak brush as a foliar.

I'm pretty allergic to it. However, with 205 acres I can't control Ivy and don't really try unless it is close to the house.

Thanks Dave,with only about 10 acres Im going to try to eradicate it completely!!
Tom G

That brings back BAD memories. When I first bought my property I decided to clear some vegetation that was constricting my entrance road. Growing up in So Cal I had never had the opportunity to see what Poison Oak looked like when it lost it's leaves during winter. So I waded into this patch of bushes and happily trimmed away. Did a great job, made a big pile of brush (fortunately did not burn it). Woke up the next morning with my eyes swollen shut and Mick Jagger lips. Fortunately my wife is a nurse and was prepared for just such an occasion (can ya tell she's been around me for a while and is use to my antics?). The funny thing is (or not so funny depending upon how you look at it) that my neighbor said a few days later.. "ya know I saw you out there trimming that Poison Oak wearing a T-shirt and no gloves, I though that you were one of those fortunate people that are not very affected by it so I decided not to say anything."

So I now have an arrangement with my neighbor. He now is more than encouraged to tell this city boy when he is doing something that a county boy wouldn't think of doing. In exchange he gets to laugh out loud in my presence whenever I begin to do something completely stupid as long as he stops me before I injure myself or others. Seems like a fair swap to me. Unfortunately he can't watch me every minute of every day, so for me almost every day on the property is an adventure.

PS - I now know what dormant Poison Oak looks like.

Seems like one of you "good old boys" could get rich writing a book "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Living in the Country." But I suspect you're not gonna, your probably too busy laughing.

The problem is that the book never has a last chapter for me. Each day, I add something.

Goats are probably the best poison ivy remover I've ever seen. They love it, and it doesn't bother them.

Cat, you are right on...
Goats will eat poison ivy, clear brush, mow your pasture, weed-eat the pond banks, and eat water primrose.
Low cost, low maintenance, and appreciate in value.

A pond owners’s friend...

George, coyotes also kinda appreciate them.

George,

Great picture.

One minor issue. Besides loving poison ivy, cleaning the pond banks, and making good working pets, they unfortunately get their greatest pleasure out of playing "king of the mountain" on the rooftops of new cars -- especially those belonging to guests and in-laws.

Ken

Dave, goats qualify for ag exempt same as cows... , and they don't get in the ponds like cattle.

Coyotes and bobcats - no problem...
Great Pyranese livestock guard dogs Belle and Brutus take care of them - never lost a goat.

Cat, they are in the pens at nignt and Belle and Brutus take them to pasture daytime and bring them home at evening - interesting to watch them work...

I worried they would upset feeders but they leave them alone - do try to get in my Mule utility wagon tho - most times my beautiful DIL keeps them penned when we are fishing.

Ah poison ivy... started with a small patch in one area of the propery, killed it off for a few years, now I am surrounded by acres and acres of it... spreads like mad! Lucky for me I can pull it out by hand with no ill effects, (So far... Knock on wood). My wife however just has to hear me talk about it to get it, and the occasional handling of my 'work' clothes doesn't do her much good... oops.
I'd love some goats, I get a real kick out of those miniature ones but since I don't have any Great Pyranese I'd be be suffering what Dave mentions. (Coyotes)

Cattle will eat it too, to varying amounts. I've had some that mostly ignore it and others that will break down fence to get to it.

A "Rural Myth" that I can neither confirm nor deny states that drinking milk from cows that eat poison ivy helps convey an immunity to it. I would completely dismiss this, were it not for the "Poision Ivy Extract" pills my late FIL used to take daily to prevent serious PI-outbreaks. That would seem to indicate a possible method for the milk immunity myth to work.