The educational channel of Umar Mycka, Poison Ivy Horticulturist. I identify and remove poison ivy plants from residential and commercial properties in Philadelphia and surrounding regions, including the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Mr. PI - we just removed 2 similar 15 year old vines from 2 oak trees. The poison ivy had 5-6' branches growing out from the vine all the way up to the top of the tree. (Amazing to me). Now that we removed the trunk and root , the branches way up the tree are dead. What can be done about them? The PI leaves will fall off and will blow to my back porch as all the tree leaves do in my yard. I am terribly allergic to PI and am afraid that my dogs will carry the PI oil to me when the leaves drop. Is there a solution to this mystery? All advice is greatly appreciated. (Former native Philadelphian, 52 years)
Yo Catherine !! ‘Ha ya do-in? I congratulate you on your adventure gardening, those are formatable plants to evict from your property. If either or both of them had green fruit then they were female plants and if you are in the Philly area or north of Philly you have prevented the seeds from ripening by severing the vine before the seeds matured. About those leaves; when they fall they are allergenic here’s some suggestions:( take them or leave them!) -buy some Zanfel poison ivy wash incase the dogs bring any resin to you -as the leaves fall and blow to your porch blow them away and into a pile with a hand blower or broom. - wet the leaves ; moisture de activates the poison ivy resin - when you have a big pile of leaves and you are feeling brave put these leaves into a contractor bag and gift them to the friendly neighborhood sanitation engineers. -or move them into a off the path spot on your property; moisture will de activate the resin in the leaves. I had a question a few years ago poison ivy leaves from up state New York got into a co ops composter in a big apartment building. Our solution compost them ; it will in activate the resin The composter did its job and the organic material was used to advantage with now rashes initiated Best regards Mr Poison Ivy “ keep gardening!”
You dug up the roots from that trunk? I’m dubious. Generally, there is as much plant below ground as there is above ground, you could be digging to the water table!
Hi Glenn Thanks for your comment,” oh yeah of little faith!” The poison ivy root is like a spoon on the roots of the tree It sucks and scoops the water from the top Like eating cereal out of a bowl Why dig for water when poison ivy can suck it before the tree gets it Best regards Mr Poison Ivy
@@glennkrzeminski7539 hi Glenn, the poison ivy I’ll discuss is the ,” hairy rope “ variety , it seems to be the most common variety of climbing poison ivy in our region southeast PA , southern NJ , northern DE Its main root cluster is shaped like a lobster and spreads out. Along with the spreading root system there are anchor roots that will go vertically into the soil , let’s say 12 inch’s deep. Other invasive vines persue their own methods for maximum growth and effect Best regards Mr Poison Ivy
Like some others have posted theyve never gotten poison ivy i have bever gotten it either an neither did my Dad. Have cut allot of firewood in eastern US pull ut straight off the tree with bare hands . Pull it straight out of me mum's flowers and gardens with bare hands never gotten a single bump on skin. Yet my mum and sisters and one brother are severely affected by poison ivy. Really strange how badly it can affect them. My mom would get it from washing clothes after my Dad and I had cut firewood. Also burnt a hell of allot of brush from after cutting firewood
Hi ODMAD, Dispose into an area where it won’t contact people The allergenic resin is cured and become in activated in humidity and moisture once it’s killed by removing it from living in the ground You could also put into large contractor plastic bags if you have municipal trash removal Best regards Mr Poison Ivy
I have a lot to remove. How do you dispose of it? I know you can't burn it. Will industrial strength degreaser destroy the oil? Heat? (but not burning like 200 degrees F, I have a kiln). Wood dissolving stuff like Glyoxylic Acid?
Hi Salvor, Thanks for your comment and question. Poison ivy resin is deactivated in moisture that’s rain, humidity and water. If you can leave it in a place where it get moisture the resin will become hard and non allergenic over time. How long of time? No one is quite sure A few weeks a month But it’s water that deactivates the urushial resin not heat or acid. Best regards Mr Poison Ivy
There is a large vine on a tree in the cemetery that I mow. I’m thinking about cutting it in two. I don’t have any reaction to poison ivy but I would not use it as mother nature’s toilet paper. 🤪. Something I think contributes to my immune system to it is I have eaten honey all my life ever since I was a kid. My dad had bees. And I could eat all I wanted. And still do at 72 years old.
That Heart root, wood ball, can that be dried and used in smoker for a bear deterant. Bee smokers use pellet wood products. Using the type of preparation, can it be used against bear.
Nobody believes me i cut a 6 inch thick poison ivy vine lol. Glad to see one on video. Btw dont ever do it with a chainsaw. I didnt realize it was poison ivy at that time. I didn't sleep well for a long time after lol.😊 Dont remember what time of year it was but when i cut it it was full of water.
Hi Smiller, I’m sorry to hear about the struggles poison ivy is posing to your family. Please teach each kid to identify poison ivy to stay away from touching the plant. Zanfel the poison ivy soap is effective to control a skin rash already in progress Where possible cut back poison ivy vines or plants from areas where kids or pets might easily touch If kids touch poison ivy plants wash effected area within 10 minutes of contact, longer than 10 minutes is much less effective Good luck stay safe Mr Poison Ivy
What if you have so many vines you can’t even find them all. It’s a hairy poison ivy and the roots are as thick is trees. It also looks like the trees grew around the ivy vines and they became one. What the heck do I do to get rid of them
I did this last year. Faught all summer long with these old poison ivy plants, trying to rid my property of as much as possible. Those roots were hard to get out! I have some poping up again this year so i have a bit of follow up work to do. Im getting there but i agree this is the only way. I tried the sprays and theyre essentially a waste of money!
Dicamba, 2,4-D and Triclopyr will take care of poison ivy without having to dig it up or call a “horticulturalist” specializing in toxicodendron radicans
The short answer is no resin left on the tree if removal is done throughly Poison ivy resin “ cures in moisture” So humidity and rain fall cause any remaining resin present to deactivate its ability to cause a rash to human skin
you say that you don’t have to worry about sawing. But burning poison ivy is an airborne problem, so why wouldn’t sighing be a threat? What if the tiny particles hit you in the face or the eyes they have oil on them?
Hi Susan In general chain saw shaving and bits of wood, hasn’t been a problem with myself or crew members.A weed wacker shredding leaves and throwing them is however a problem. I think it’s because it’s a greater exposure to the leaf surface which contains more poisonous resin than the bark of the vine. The wood of the vine doesn’t contain the resin. It’s a different story if an open cut on the skin is involved , then the resin can go systemic Best regards Mr Poison Ivy
I've never had an allergic reaction to poison ivy or oak (and I've spent plenty of time in wooded areas) but being that close to it still unnerves me a little bit....
Thanks for the videos! I recently purchased 16 acres around my home and I have a LOT of land clearing to get done to remove the dilapidated mobile homes, all the trash, and access the community well house that I need to repair. Trying to learn the best ways that we can handle it as there is tons of poison ivy. I know I am allergic because I had a rash over 60% of my body as a boy including inside my mouth and eyes, which required oral steroids and a prescription topical foam to clear up.
@@MrPoisonIvy I already visited your site. It was nice seeing some content from my home turf. Born and raised in Willow Grove, PA but now living in central Missouri. It would have been nice to have a company like yours available out here for sure!
How many months of summer heat and humidity does it take to inactivate urushiol if some plants are shredded? How many months would it take, starting in early June? I live in Harrisburg, PA where the rainiest month is June with about 11 rain days. September has the most rain on average with 3.5 in, though
Hi Very long name, Thanks for watching the video, my educated guess is that shredded poison ivy leaves will lose their allergenic properties within a month of exposure to humidity and rainfall. Best regards Mr Poison Ivy
My guess is poison ivy doesn't affect you and your crew as it does people who are severely allergic. Also if not an airborne allergen why have people had severe reactions in the lungs(typically after burning it)?
Hi Danny Thanks for your observations about our video. We do protect ourselves by using proper personal protective equipment. What you say is true about the burning of poison ivy plants. The fire is hot enough to burn the plant tissue like leaves and stems but not hot enough to burn the poisonous resin. So the poisonous resin rides on the smoke and ash carrying the poison that can be inhaled and that’s how someone can get an airborne dose of poison ivy resin. Otherwise the resin is not airborne
@@MrPoisonIvy Hello, Sir. I guess I meant it as a negative.... but yes there was a take-away... the illustration about the head, neck, 2 arms, and trunk... but even that still leaves (no pun intended) a lot still unknown about identifying it in the woods. With respect, it seemed like your title leaned toward "clickbate", where one is expecting one thing, but what you actually delivered as the punchline was a commercial for your business.... which no doubt you are very good and professional and expert and accomplished at. Best regards.
@@scatoutdebutter hi Robert, please view my latest video. An adventurer learns to identify poison ivy Please comment how you find this video Please remember these videos cost me money and effort to create , and I am in business, but my clients come from word of mouth recommendations for work well done You could check out my website Idontwantpoisonivy.com Thanks for your comments
@@MrPoisonIvy Ok, Sir. I am planning to watch it when I get a chance. Because of your responses and interactions with me I have changed my thumbs down to a thumbs up! Best wishes. .... and I plan to check out your website too. Thanks!
