North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Don Yellman <dyellman@earthlink.net>]

Michael:

If you want to get rid of poison ivy without using herbicides, you might 
consider small nuclear devices.  But back to reality here.  Poison ivy 
cannot be dug out, grubbed out, or wished out.  The best medicine is 
2,4-D applied when the plants are fully leafed out, and it will have to 
be done more than once, perhaps in successive seasons.  Oddly enough, 
2,4-D is more effective than the much pricier glyphosate (Roundup) at 
eliminating p.i.  If there are mature vines climbing the trees, cut them 
off low to the ground first with a pruning shears (wearing gloves). 
When a flush of leaves appears at the base, that is the time to hit 
them.  I have had quite a bit of experience with p.i. around here, and 
have taken out vines that had grown to over an inch thick.  Almost big 
enough to make furniture.  Even after they are dead they are toxic to 
the skin.  I have also used 2,4-D around the base of my fruit trees 
against dicots like chickweed for many years, still do, and there has 
been absolutely no sign of damage.  I think if there were a lot of 
suckering growth around the trees I would cut that off first, since 
2,4-D is absorbed primarily through the leaves, but after that, the bark 
of the tree will fully protect it against 2,4-D.

Rgds, Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA  

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