How To Successfully Eliminate Poison Ivy From Your Lawn
Poison ivy can cause a painful rash to appear on your skin if you come in contact with the toxic resin that is present on each part of the plant. You can successfully eliminate poison ivy from your lawn if the proper steps are taken.
Use The Following Items
- rubber gloves
- protective goggles
- long pants
- long sleeved shirt
- trash bags
- pruning shears
- small shovel
- plastic sheeting
- herbicide
- mild detergent
- bleach
- bucket
- water
- water hose
- towel
- grass seed
Locate The Poison Ivy
Learning how to identify poison ivy will ensure that you remove all of it in the following steps. Poison ivy mostly grows as a vine, but can also grow as a small bush in some locations. The plant always contains groups of three leaves. The leaves can be pointed, curved, or jagged. Small, green berries grow on the poison ivy plant during the spring and summer. In the fall, the berries turn a yellowish color. If you are uncertain if a particular plant in your yard is poison ivy, view some pictures of poison ivy in a book or online.
Remove The Plants
Wear goggles, rubber gloves, long pants, and a long sleeved shirt before attempting to remove the poison ivy. Covering as much skin as possible will minimize the chance of touching one of the plants. If only a small number of poison ivy plants are in your yard, you might want to try digging them up by the roots. Use a garden shovel to do this. Dig down several inches, next to the base of each plant. Loosen the soil. Grasp each plant by the stem and pull upwards. Place the plants in a trash bag.
If a large amount of poison ivy plants are in your yard and they are growing closely together, digging each one up by hand may be time consuming and something that you do not want to attempt. Instead, cut the lowest part of each plant's stem with a pair of pruning shears. Place the parts that you have cut off into a trash bag.
Use A Herbicide
Protect the grass and plants that are located next to the stems that remain by covering them with plastic sheeting. Spray the stems with herbicide. The herbicide will enter the stems and work its way downwards, destroying the roots. Within a day or two, the stems will be wilted and you can easily pull the roots out without having to dig. Make sure that you cover your skin during this process because poison in the stems and roots is still present.
Throw the remains of each poison ivy plant, the plastic sheeting, and rubber gloves into a trash bag. Tie each bag tightly. Place the bags in an outdoor receptacle until it is time for your trash to be picked up.
Disinfect Your Tools And Clothes
After being exposed to poison ivy, your clothes and tools will need to be disinfected so that the poison from the plants is not spread. Place your clothes in your washing machine and wash them with detergent and hot water. Put the pruning shears, protective goggles, and small shovel in a bucket that is filled with warm, soapy water and a cup of bleach. Let them soak for several minutes before removing them. Rinse each item off with a water hose and dry them all with a towel.
Plant Grass Seed
Sprinkle grass seed liberally over bare patches in your yard where the poison ivy used to be. Water your lawn a couple times each day until new grass begins to grow. Continue to water your lawn when the weather conditions are dry. Enjoy spending time outside in your yard without worrying about being exposed to poisonous plants any longer.
