Poison ivy - making the tree safe for my daughter

MikoDel

MikoDel

Participating member
Location
SE PA
‎Our new yard has its fair share of the nasty plant, and the tree I'm describing here was one of the worst. I sawed the 4" diameter vine off the tree up to maybe 25, with first a pole saw and later climbing and using my old ARS handsaw. (Of course, wearing an N95 dust mask the whole time.) I'm concerned about the latent aerial rootlets, "red fuzz", and whatever urushiol remains on the bark.

I scraped off a lot of the rootlets with the saws, but I can't get it all. Should I use sandpaper and try to get more of it that way? What about a stiff brush with a weak bleach solution, like 1%, and trying to "wash it down"?

My daughter is going to use this tree as one of two that she will push off and swing to while on her disc swing. The swing is mounted maybe 60' feet up on a sycamore limb equidistant between the two trunks. When I'm not there to push her, she develops her own routine, springing off and "landing" between the two trees. I put something on the tree (like a loop of rope or dyneema web sling) she can grab and use for stability, but of course she will also be grabbing onto the bark for purchase.

Thanks in advance for your input, fellow tree guys & gals.
 
No answers here on how much material has to be cleaned off a tree to prevent urusiol transmission.

Zanfel is a product that is fantastic for urusiol absorption and decontamination after the fact though. And there are threads on here about dealing with poison ivy/oak after the fact that you might want to be tuned up on.

Welcome to TreeBuzz by the way.
 
You could try a pressure washer or just remove tree and build a platform for her to use. I do know that I have some firewood with the "fuzz" on it and will get a reaction from it. Wood has been cut and split for 2 years.

That is not something I would want to expose a kid to on a regular basis.
 
It would be very hard to get rid of all the oil and it stays active for many, many years. Perhaps wrap the trunk were she will be making contact. A tarp that is easily put on and off?
 
What condition is the tree in ? e.g. dead wood that could fall, dead vines in the top will probably fall out in wind storms for many years, etc.
As stated above, those "dead" vines will remain potent for years.
A 4" diam. ivy root stump should mean there is a huge amount of ivy foliage in the canopy that is killing the tree.

When the stump sprouts very active leaves, spray them with RoundUp, or a type of 24D.
Add a little ag-surfactant (detergent) to the spray to help it adhere to the oily leaves.
A 4" stump is going to take a couple years to kill.

Also look for ground roots that are send out from the main root source . (feet and yards away)

Do NOT burn the ivy debris. The oil is then vaporized, but still potent.
 
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I would second maybe try wrapping it. I don't think anything will clear it out instantly. Definitely read up on what to do after you have contacted the plant.
 
This is smart input, thx to all.

I have TecNu, which I use to wash the stuff off my hands. I looked up Zanfel, which sounds like it would do the trick, but I love the idea of wrapping the trunk. Click - clunk - done.

I just moved in last Sept, not sure what the tree is. Last summer I could tell it was hurting but I can't remember the leaf. Bark kinda looks like ash. Lotsa dead wood, sparse foliage. Between the vine and whatever else may be wrong w/it, it's prolly only got 5-10 more years.‎

The swing is attached to a very healthy sycamore. I'm on very good terms w/my landlord. he'll probably ask me to take it down if it becomes a real hazard.‎

For now leaving it is far easier than building anything.‎
‎
 
Nasty stuff if you're allergic to it and as already stated, the oil can last a while after the vine is removed. Water and Dawn dish soap will remove the majority of it off most surfaces. I've tried almost every remedy known to man both before and after contact with very little effect. I usually get one pretty serious dose a year and then am somewhat immune. I had a crazy coworker years ago who would rub it all over his face and chew on the leaves just to show it had no effect on him. He was nuts.
 
I hate poison ivy with every fiber of my being. Have to go on steroids once a year or so due to bad allergic reactions to it.
 
GregManning said:
What condition is the tree in ? e.g. dead wood that could fall, dead vines in the top will probably fall out in wind storms for many years, etc.
As stated above, those "dead" vines will remain potent for years.
A 4" diam. ivy root stump should mean there is a huge amount of ivy foliage in the canopy that is killing the tree.

When the stump sprouts very active leaves, spray them with RoundUp, or a type of 24D.
Add a little ag-surfactant (detergent) to the spray to help it adhere to the oily leaves.
A 4" stump is going to take a couple years to kill.

Also look for ground roots that are send out from the main root source . (feet and yards away)

Do NOT burn the ivy debris. The oil is then vaporized, but still potent.
Click to expand...

I concur with the "this is going to take 2-3 years to kill" statement. A bit differently, I would use triclopyr in the amine formulation sold at Lowe's, applied to the freshly cut ivy stump. The concentration is low for cut stump application (I use 50-100% on more resistant hardwood stumps like camphor and Chinese tallow, and brush-be-gone runs around 6-8%), but the ivy will potentially transmit the herbicide, via enmeshed roots, to the tree. This, for me, necessitates repeated, low concentration treatment to kill the ivy without killing the tree. Triclopyr damage is visible at 2 months, post treatment, so plan to cut a bit off and treat about every 2 months. It will be hard to see visible signs of death with the elevated ivy cut. Also, the triclopyr amine formulation does not penetrate bark much, so you can use a squirt bottle or brush it on with a sponge brush. Both roundup and triclopyr are not particularly soil active - it's just the interconnected roots that need consideration. Roundup damage usually shows up at two weeks, btw. I don't have specific information on whether poison ivy roots repel other roots, so y'all feel free to chip in.

I recognize that this does not help solve your issue with the elevated remains of the ivy. What does anyone think about pressure washing?

Hth...
 
Poison ivy does not kill trees, and most humans need a huge dose to get sick. If you've scraped off what she can touch you've done a lot.

re the stump and roots, physically pulling them out as much as possible before going nuclear on it might be more effective.

If you post a pic of the tree after it leafs out we can tell you more.
 
Poison Ivy will kill trees, just as wild grape vines kill trees. (also English ivy, and many other creeping, ascending vines.)
It is a slow progression.

It's not the poison, its the ivy vegetation that preferential grows in the canopy, preventing tree leaves from proper growth.
Year, after year.
 
Creeping vines like ivy are easy to control--just prune them back once or twice per decade.

Grape, honeysuckle etc. are TWINING vines. They can strangle trees. Big difference!
 
Um no I've had it go systemic on me twice; once a as a teenager rolling down a hill, and later in shortsleeves climbing a riverbirch full of it in winter--no leaves. Sick for days/week.

I like people's responses now when I pull out PI stumps and roots barehanded. "Palms have no pores."

It's not a strangler and good to leave for habitat, in some places.
 
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