Building a garden is a lot of hard work and can take up quite a bit of our time. There is the process of designing it, choosing what we want to put into it, and then spending the time to mulch, mow, plant, and grow the plants that we have chosen to place around the yard. Slowly over time we have created a safe haven and a beautiful place to surround our home. The only thing that can ruin this are unwanted plants creeping their way in to our haven and ruining things. One of the worst types of plants that makes it way into our gardens is the poison ivy plant.
We all remember this plant from when we were little. Our parents warned us not to go near it - but our curiosities were too high and we explored it anyways. At first we didn't understand why we were told not to touch it - but after a few minutes we began to feel the burning and itching sensations caused by the horrible rash that had sprung up on our exposed hands. Naturally having this plant in our garden is the last thing that we want or need. So how do we rid it from our garden?
What Not To Do:
- Most will try to rip the plant out by its roots - but this will release a large amount of the urusiol - skin irritant - and thus will give you an unusually bad case of the rash. It will also have a chance to grow back unless you make sure to get every last bit of the root.
- Some people will go to extreme measures to get rid of this plant. They will burn it in a safe area after ripping it out or even while it is still in the ground. This is the worst thing you can do. First of all the fire can get our of your control and become a big blaze and could spread to your house or others. Also when you burn it you are also burning the urusiol that runs inside the plant. When this smoke-filled urusiol fills your lungs it will burn them and will make you very sick.
What You Can Do:
- Many find that when they keep mowing it when it grows back it will eventually give up and die. However, you must be cautious about this because the mulched parts will mix in with the leaves around the yard. Cutting it off at the ground is another way to kill it. Again you will have to keep cutting it as it grows back and until it gives up and dies. The problem with this is that it could take a few years for it to finally die.
- One of the safest ways to kill the plant is to cover the ground vine with black plastic until it dies from lack of sunshine and oxygen. Once dead you will need to replace it with a new plant immediately to ensure that it does not grow back.
- If all else fails you can go out and purchase Roundup weed killer. However, this should be your last resort and you must be careful with it. Roundup weed killer is powerful and there is a chance it might kill the plants you love that surround the poison ivy. It should only be used when you have a large number of poison ivy plants growing in your garden.
Word Of Caution:
Whichever way you choose please make sure that you wear protective gloves over your hands to protect the exposed skin. Also wear long pants, lone sleeve shirts, and boots with socks. Leave no area of your skin unprotected. Also please make sure that your children are safely inside the house and teach them not to touch it.
We all remember this plant from when we were little. Our parents warned us not to go near it - but our curiosities were too high and we explored it anyways. At first we didn't understand why we were told not to touch it - but after a few minutes we began to feel the burning and itching sensations caused by the horrible rash that had sprung up on our exposed hands. Naturally having this plant in our garden is the last thing that we want or need. So how do we rid it from our garden?
What Not To Do:
- Most will try to rip the plant out by its roots - but this will release a large amount of the urusiol - skin irritant - and thus will give you an unusually bad case of the rash. It will also have a chance to grow back unless you make sure to get every last bit of the root.
- Some people will go to extreme measures to get rid of this plant. They will burn it in a safe area after ripping it out or even while it is still in the ground. This is the worst thing you can do. First of all the fire can get our of your control and become a big blaze and could spread to your house or others. Also when you burn it you are also burning the urusiol that runs inside the plant. When this smoke-filled urusiol fills your lungs it will burn them and will make you very sick.
What You Can Do:
- Many find that when they keep mowing it when it grows back it will eventually give up and die. However, you must be cautious about this because the mulched parts will mix in with the leaves around the yard. Cutting it off at the ground is another way to kill it. Again you will have to keep cutting it as it grows back and until it gives up and dies. The problem with this is that it could take a few years for it to finally die.
- One of the safest ways to kill the plant is to cover the ground vine with black plastic until it dies from lack of sunshine and oxygen. Once dead you will need to replace it with a new plant immediately to ensure that it does not grow back.
- If all else fails you can go out and purchase Roundup weed killer. However, this should be your last resort and you must be careful with it. Roundup weed killer is powerful and there is a chance it might kill the plants you love that surround the poison ivy. It should only be used when you have a large number of poison ivy plants growing in your garden.
Word Of Caution:
Whichever way you choose please make sure that you wear protective gloves over your hands to protect the exposed skin. Also wear long pants, lone sleeve shirts, and boots with socks. Leave no area of your skin unprotected. Also please make sure that your children are safely inside the house and teach them not to touch it.