poison oak

[The Mama Chicken]

My husband has a terrible case of poison oak right now and I keep hearing him mumble something about a "truckload of Round Up!" Is there any way of organically getting rid of the stuff? I am absolutely against using herbicides (especially Monsanto's) but we probably have a half-acre of poison oak on the property. It's mixed in with the wild grapevines, the dewberries, it's even taken over an entire giant live oak tree. I don't want to kill the good plants, but it's all tangled up. It's also growing near the creek, so I'm worried that, if my husband does spray something, the runoff might kill the turtles, snakes and fish that live in and around the creek. They are big plants too, some bushes are 6 feet tall, and the vine that has taken over the oak is probably 40 feet long. Help!

 

[thistlebloom]

Is your husband the only one that gets a reaction?
I feel for him, I've done time with poison oak and I know how miserable it is.

You could fence your goats in there and let them eat it down. Then you'd have to be diligent about keeping after it with a horticultural vinegar spray until all the roots were positively dead.

I doubt there's an efficient way to selectively kill just the PO.

If you didn't want to use your goats, since anybody who touched them would pick up the oil from their coats, you could probably find one of those goat rentals that bring their animals in to clean up brush.

Not a problem I would wish on anybody, PO makes me shudder.

 

[The Mama Chicken]

Yes, it's only my hubby. The kids an I are fine. The goats do love it, but with only 3 they can't possibly eat it all, plus most of it is in an unfenced area. My poor puppy has been ejected from the house because he loves to roll in the darn stuff and hubby doesn't want it to rub off on the couch.
Will it die if I just keep cutting it back to the ground? I would think that the roots would eventually run out of energy.

 

[catjac1975]

My husband has a terrible case of poison oak right now and I keep hearing him mumble something about a "truckload of Round Up!" Is there any way of organically getting rid of the stuff? I am absolutely against using herbicides (especially Monsanto's) but we probably have a half-acre of poison oak on the property. It's mixed in with the wild grapevines, the dewberries, it's even taken over an entire giant live oak tree. I don't want to kill the good plants, but it's all tangled up. It's also growing near the creek, so I'm worried that, if my husband does spray something, the runoff might kill the turtles, snakes and fish that live in and around the creek. They are big plants too, some bushes are 6 feet tall, and the vine that has taken over the oak is probably 40 feet long. Help!

I don't know if it's the same with all people or with poison oak, but. I got poison ivy a lot when I was a kid. I find now, I get it a little bit every few years and then don't get it again for years. You may be able to find a homeopathic physician that can detoxify him from the allergic reaction. The goat advice seems very good.

 

[seedcorn]

might look up 2-4D. Generic chemical that won't hurt grasses but will kill broadleaves.

 

[farmettehopeful]

Here is a site I was just reading about (as I currently am getting over the blisters on my arms, neck, stomach, and legs that I am tired of getting several times a year!) http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=562 It says to pull out roots and all and then if necessary use vinegar but it goes into a detailed plan so nobody gets in contact with the oils. Good luck!!!

 

[Carol Dee]

If he reacts to it like I do Poison Ivy I feel for him. I got Poison Ivy REALLY BAD a few years ago. I was on vacation in the heat of the summer, too. I spread the oil all over the camper, truck seat, etc.... before I knew I had been in it. So I kept getting MORE! I finally threw out my purse, cleaned everything else down with rubbing alchohol. Jeez. It took 2 trips to doctor and two rounds of steroids.
I break out with it now if I look cross eyed at it. Or touch hubbies work clothes or dog when they have been in it,
Farmette I will be checking the article as we have lots of it around. But the dog runs off and through it every time we go there. Even if we did get it under control on our property He'd get it in the neighbors woods. * sigh*

 

[897tgigvib]

Poison Oak!

When I was 12 years old I was digging for antique bottles in a small old dumpsite. Got some cool bottles. But back then I did not know what poison oak looked like. I got it on 100% of my body. Not one spot was missed on my body. I survived without going to a hospital or doctor. When I finally healed up I made a point of learning what it looks like any time of the year.

I have not had more than the occasional spot of it since.

In winter when its oils are down and it is dormant, I actually touch it lightly on purpose, to the back of my hand. It makes no effect at all, but an ole "injun" friend told me to do that to be a bit immune.

I hike through the woods and am automatically careful of it.

A couple years ago, no, 4 years ago, some of the campers were clearing brush. I tried and tried, all in vain, showed them, kept trying to tell them about the poison oak. Well, they all wound up at the hospital getting shots of cortisone and stuff.

I'd suggest Mama Chicken, that you slowly and carefully work your way in from the perimeter.

For small poison oak plants, squirting the leaves with pure Clorox Bleach with a spray bottle kills the leaves, and some on the stem seems to hurt it more. Repeat that as you work your way in over the course of a year or so. The amount of bleach im talking is small. A 12 ounce bottle should do a couple forays at the perimeter. Hit that perimeter a couple or more times a week.

When ya get to the oak tree with the vine on it safely, snip the vine all the way through, all you can get to.

Poison Oak is safest to be near when it is dormant. I wonder if down in texas they do not get completely dormant and drop their leaves? If that is the case, they probably have the least bad oils in the vines a month or 2 before they bud out in spring with fresh growth.

 

[The Mama Chicken]

They do change color and then drop their leaves in the winter here. I took the goats out today to the big oak. I took a saw and cut through the main stems (some were as big around as my bicep) growing up the tree and the goats munched on the some of the smaller stuff around the base of the tree. I TRIED to convince them that the poison oak was the yummiest thing down there, but there are a bunch of china berry seedlings that proved irresistible to them and they were soon distracted. I guess I need to work on training them to listen better.

 

[momofdrew]

I would go along with the goats also cutting it untill the roots give up the ghost...I am very thankful that we dont have any poison ivy on our property...for weeds i use apple cider vinagar sprayed on the foliage...that may help and I am sure it wouldnt hurt the munching goats if they ate any ...