Eastern poison ivy foliage exhibiting smooth leaf margins.

Eastern poison ivy leafage exhibiting shine leaf margins.
Joey Williamson, ©2010 HGIC, Clemson Extension

Eastern poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is a woody, perennial vine or small shrub that can exist found in fields, pastures, woodlands, farms and home landscapes. As a vine, it attaches itself to trees or other structures with hairy, aerial roots borne along the stem.

Toxicant ivy has compound leaves that occur in threes (trifoliate or three leaflets). The edges of the leaflets tin be smooth, wavy, lobed or toothed. Some leaves may resemble oak leaves. Atlantic poisonous substance oak (T. pubescens) looks like to poison ivy, simply it by and large grows more upright and has hairs on both upper and lower leaf surfaces. Most mature poisonous substance ivy plants will blossom and produce clusters of white, waxy fruit.

The entire institute is poisonous considering all parts contain the irritating oil urushiol. Urushiol is a colorless or slightly yellow oil found in the leaves, stems and roots. The oil can remain agile for months on objects. It can be picked up on tools,clothing and the fur of pets. Therefore, anything that may acquit the oil should be carefully done. Fifty-fifty dead plants or roots may cause allergic reactions for a couple of years.

Some people are more sensitive than others to the effects of poisonous substance ivy. Sensitive people often develop a severe peel rash within hours later contact. Highly allergic people may develop a rash if they inhale smoke when called-for toxicant ivy in brush piles, or if they contact pets with the toxin on their fur. Even so, sensitivity tin change from fourth dimension to time and so that someone who was not affected past it at one fourth dimension can accept a reaction at another time.

"The poison ivy vines become "hairy" in appearance as they are covered in anchoring rootlets that aid in zipper to the tree. A rash can also occur from contact with the vines."
Joey Williamson, ©2017 HGIC, Clemson Extension

The plants are well-nigh dangerous in bound and summer when oil content is highest. For those sensitive to the oil, a linear rash, resembling small insect bites, will announced within 12 to 48 hours, but a reaction can have upwardly to two weeks to occur. This rash develops into a more severe rash and blisters.

Washing with running water is recommended. Washing with soaps that contain oils, such equally complexion soaps, tin really spread the irritating oil and make the rash more widespread. Unless the oil is removed from the pare within 10 minutes of exposure, a reaction is inevitable in extremely sensitive individuals. Less sensitive people may take upwards to iv hours to wash it off, although it is generally accustomed that the oil binds to the skin in thirty minutes. Thereafter, it is extremely difficult to remove with h2o. Rubbing alcohol is a better solvent for the oil than is h2o.

There are specially prepared cleansing agents (such as Tecnu Peel Cleanser, Tecnu Extreme Medicated Poison Ivy Scrub, and Zanfel) that remove much of the rash-causing oil if practical to the pare within four to 8 hours of contact.

Another treatment to help forbid a rash following exposure is with a manganese sulfate solution. A manganese sulfate solution has been shown to be effective both to inactivate urushiol on the skin, to salvage itching, and probably acts as a chelating amanuensis for detoxification of urushiol. Dr. W's Poisonous substance Ivy, Oak, Sumac Cleanser is the most common manganese sulfate solution available for treatment of poisonous substance ivy rashes.

Ivy Shield, Ivy Block Lotion, and Ivy Ten Poison Oak Lotion are protective agents for sensitive individuals to reduce the take chances of a rash when spending time in areas with these plants.

Fall color of Eastern poison ivy

Autumn colour of Eastern poison ivy.
Joey Williamson, ©2007 HGIC, Clemson Extension

"Once the poison ivy vines mature, flowers are produced. The resulting white fruit are spread past birds."
Joey Williamson, ©2017 HGIC, Clemson Extension

Eastern poison ivy foliage exhibiting serrate (toothed) leaf margins

Eastern poison ivy foliage exhibiting serrate (toothed) leafage margins
Joey Williamson, ©2010 HGIC, Clemson Extension

Eastern poison ivy foliage exhibiting lobed leaf margins

Eastern toxicant ivy foliage exhibiting lobed leaf margins
Joey Williamson, ©2010 HGIC, Clemson Extension

Control

Poison ivy grows adequately quickly and propagates itself by underground rhizomes and seeds. Seeds are speedily spread past birds and other animals that eat the minor fruits. Poisonous substance ivy tin can get started in the landscape from a seed dropped by a bird and may quickly get a widespread trouble. It ofttimes grows in shrubs and groundcovers making it hard to control.

Don't misfile poison ivy with Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), which besides grows every bit both a groundcover and climbs trees as a vine. However, Virginia creeper plants have compound leaves with five leaflets rather than iii.

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) has leaves in groups of five.

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) has leaves in groups of five.
Joey Williamson, ©2014 HGIC, Clemson Extension

For light infestations, dig up small plants. Yous can likewise repeatedly cutting dorsum the plants to footing level. Somewhen they starve to decease. Start cutting early in the spring, about the time leaves unfold. When new growth appears, cutting again. Audit the plants every week or two. Whenever you come across green growth, cut the shoots back to the basis.

If yous cull to eradicate toxicant oak or poisonous substance ivy by cutting back the plants, you should protect your hands and artillery. E'er wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. Use protective gloves. Wash the article of clothing separately from the family laundry. Instead of disposable gloves, consider using plastic bags, the long kind that newspapers and bread loaves come up in. Slip each mitt into a bag and keep the bags secured to your arms with rubber bands. When you accept finished cutting, remove the numberless past turning them inside out. So be sure to discard them, because the bags will now be contaminated with urushiol, the oil that causes the allergic pare reaction.

To eradicate toxicant oak and poison ivy chemically, apply an herbicide that contains glyphosate, triclopyr, or a 3-way herbicide that contains 2,4-D amine, dicamba, and mecoprop. Meet Table 1 for products containing these active ingredients. These herbicides tin kill desirable plants, then exist careful. If the toxicant ivy or poison oak is growing among plants yous desire to save, you can cut back the poison ivy or poison oak and spray or paint the herbicide merely on the freshly cut stems or stump. If in that location are no desirable plants nearby, y'all can spray or paint poison ivy and poisonous substance oak without cut them dorsum first. Read and follow label directions whenever using any herbicides.

The herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D amine, dicamba, mecoprop, and triclopyr are translocated from the leaves and cut stems to the rest of the plant, eventually killing the shoots and roots. Repeated applications may exist necessary. Depending on weather and other factors, information technology may have one to several weeks before you discover whether you take successfully eradicated the plant, then be patient.

Herbicides work amend when you spray at the correct time. Poison ivy and toxicant oak are virtually sensitive to two,4-D amine and dicamba treatments in tardily spring or early on summer when the plants are actively growing chop-chop. Triclopyr offers the best control after the leaves fully expand in the leap and before leafage colour changes in the fall. Glyphosate offers the best control when applied betwixt two weeks earlier and 2 weeks after full flower (early summertime) and should exist mixed to a two% solution.

In lawns, many of the iii-way herbicides may exist applied to tall fescue, bermudagrass, zoysiagrass, St. Augustinegrass and centipedegrass for toxicant ivy command. Be sure to read the label for safe use on each turfgrass species and for the amount of product to use per gallon of spray. Applications may be repeated. Triclopyr may be safely applied to alpine fescue lawns, and zoysiagrass although some products are not labeled for utilise on residential lawns. Run into Table ane for products.

If triclopyr or two,four-D containing products are applied to lawns for weed control, exercise not utilise the clippings for mulch in vegetable gardens or effectually ornamentals every bit plant injury or expiry may consequence.

There are as well products that are mixes of 2,4-D, dicamba, and triclopyr that should give enhanced control of poison ivy in lawns and areas that are not near desirable plants.

When herbicides are practical to beds intended for hereafter planting of ornamentals, care must be taken as various herbicides may injure the plants to be installed. For planned beds, glyphosate has far less soil activeness (a few days) as compared with the 3-manner herbicides (a few weeks) and triclopyr (several months). Glyphosate is the safest choice for spray application in existing blossom and shrub beds, so long as care is taken to preclude drift to not-target plants. Glyphosate applications are much less apt to motility through the soil, be absorbed past roots, and injure existing woody ornamental shrubs. Run into Table 1 for brands and products.

Care must be taken to non permit any of these of these products to bear upon the foliage, stems or trunks of desirable plants. If the bark is thin, many herbicides can move through the bawl and into the constitute'southward nutrient and water transport system (the phloem and xylem elements), and result in severe plant injury or death.

Table i. Examples of Post-emergence Spray Herbicides for Control of Poison Ivy.

Brands & Specific Products Post-emergence Herbicide
 Agile Ingredient 		% Active Ingredient
 in Product 		Labeled for Use on Listed Turfgrass Species
Ortho Max Poison Ivy & Tough Brush Killer Concentrate; & RTU2 Triclopyr viii.0 None
Ferti-lome Brush Killer Stump Killer Concentrate
Southern AG Brush Killer		 Triclopyr 8.eight None
Ortho Weed B Gon Chickweed, Clover & Oxalis Killer for Lawns Concentrate; & RTSane Triclopyr eight.0 Tall Fescue
Zoysiagrass
Hi-Yield Triclopyr Ester

Herbicide Concentrate Monterey Turflon Ester

 Triclopyr 61.half dozen Tall Fescue
Bayer BioAdvanced Southern Weed Killer for Lawns Concentrate; & RTSi 2,4-D
Mecoprop
Dicamba		 7.59
one.83
0.84		 Tall Fescue
Bermudagrass
Zoysiagrass
St. Augustinegrass
(use at lower characterization charge per unit)
Centipedegrass
(employ at lower label charge per unit)
Ferti-lome Weed-Out Lawn Weed Killer Concentrate 2,4-D
Mecoprop
Dicamba		 5.88
5.45
1.21
Southern Ag Lawn Weed Killer with Trimec Concentrate 2,4-D
Mecoprop
Dicamba		 3.05
5.30
i.29
Spectracide Weed Terminate For Lawns RTUtwo 2,4-D

Mecoprop

Dicamba

 0.593

0.144

0.066
Ortho Weed B Gon Max for Southern Lawns Concentrate; & RTS1; & RTU2 ii,4-D
Mecoprop
Dicamba
Carfentrazone		 4.01
0.49
0.27
0.sixteen
Spectracide Weed Stop for Lawns Concentrate; & RTS1 2,4-D
Mecoprop
Dicamba		 7.59
1.83
0.84
Roundup Original Concentrate,
Roundup Pro Herbicide,
Martin'due south Eraser Systemic Weed & Grass Killer,
Quick Impale Grass & Weed Killer
Bonide Kleenup Weed & Grass Killer 41% Super Concentrate
Hi-Yield Super Concentrate
Maxide Super Concentrate 41% Weed & Grass Killer
Super Concentrate Killzall Weed & Grass Killer
Tiger Make Quick Kill Concentrate
Ultra Impale Weed & Grass Killer Concentrate
Gordon's Groundwork Concentrate l% Super Weed & Grass Killer
Zep Enforcer Weed Defeat III
Eliminator Weed & Grass Killer Super Concentrate
Monterey Remuda Full Strength 41% Glyphosate
Knock Out Weed & Grass Killer Super Concentrate
Southern States Grass & Weed Killer Concentrate II
Total Kill Pro Weed & Grass Killer Herbicide
Ace Concentrate Weed & Grass Killer		 Glyphosate 41 – 50% None
aneRTS: Prepare-to-Spray (hose-end sprayer)
twoRTU: Ready-to-Utilise (pre-mixed spray bottle for spot spraying)

Caution: Pollinating insects, such as honey bees and bumblebees, tin be adversely affected past the use of pesticides. Avoid the use of spray pesticides (both insecticides and fungicides), likewise every bit soil-applied, systemic insecticides unless absolutely necessary. If spraying is required, e'er spray tardily in the evening to reduce the straight impact on pollinating insects. Always endeavour less toxic alternative sprays get-go for the control of insect pests and diseases. For case, sprays with insecticidal lather, horticultural oil, neem oil extract, spinosad, Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.), or botanical oils can help command many minor insect pests and mites that affect garden and landscape plants. Neem oil extract or botanical oil sprays may also reduce plant damage by repelling many insect pests. Practise cultural techniques to prevent or reduce the incidence of plant diseases, including pre-plant soil improvement, proper found spacing, crop rotation, applying mulch, applying lime and fertilizer based on soil test results, and avoiding over-head irrigation and frequent watering of established plants. Additionally, there are less toxic spray fungicides that contain sulfur or copper soap, and biological control sprays for institute diseases that contain Bacillus subtilis. However, information technology is very of import to always read and follow the label directions on each product. For more information, contact the Clemson Extension Home & Garden Information Center.

Pesticides are updated annually. Last updates were done on July 15, 2021 past Joey Williamson.