Welcome To Poisonivydetection.com

1) Label the test sites on your arm and swipe the suspected plant sap in the labeled area. Wait a couple of days and test site give you your answer. This would work, but is not recommended. x

2) Same as above but use someone else's arm. This is better, but still not recommended. 

3) Forget the question; Spray and kill everything with three leaves. This would work, but also not recommended. Your environment and pocketbook will thank you for testing, selecting, and treating the poison ivy problem.

4) Buy my test kit and get your results in thirty minutes. It is much easer to prevent a poison ivy rash than to live with it.

The detector kit has been tested for poison ivy and sumac and should work for poison oak. Updates when available. The kit costs $10.00 and is sent via mail with no additional charges. Credit cards via PayPal below.

Identification
The irritating compound, urushiol, is contained in the sap of the plant. The test strips supplied in the kit are sensitive to the urushiol and will indicate its presence. The three leaves of poison ivy defy description, as it changes with location, age, and the amount of sunlight received. The best description is two opposing leaves with the third leaf, which has a much longer leaf stem, extended forward from the pair.    Urushiol information, in-depth site.   Pictures of poison ivy

Distribution
The following link is the scientific site of the USDA. It will give you the distribution of the poisons by state and sometimes counties, but is a tad bit fussy. The link comes in under poison oak, but scrolling down will give you poison ivy and sumac. There are seven kinds of poison ivy each with its own symbol, an alphanumeric code containing four to seven characters. Of course the ivies overlap in many states which makes identification even more difficult.  USDA

Spread
The spread and propagation of poison ivy are as follows; a seed germinates, the plant then spreads by patching, sending out runners for six to ten inches to start a new plant. The plant is looking for something to climb, like a tree or fence post. When it finds a tree the vine will grow up to several inches in diameter and climb to its’ top. Propagation occurs on the larger vines which produce the poison ivy berries. Birds, after eating the berries, deposits the seed in our yards and woodlands and the ivy starts looking for another tree. If you find a vine, look for the characteristic patching so it can be eliminated. The berries on larger vines are readily identifiable, as they resemble mistletoe berry clusters but they are ivory colored.

Herbicides
Eradication of poison ivy is usually done with a systemic herbicide 2,4-D, glyphosate, or triclopyr. The ivy takes up the herbicide through its leaves and kills the entire plant. Because the ivy is normally in shaded areas, it has a slow growth rate and thus a slow uptake of the herbicide. Always spray with low winds. Read and follow label directions. If you should get the herbicide in your eyes, stop and flush immediately. I prefer the concentrates but these herbicides also come as premix. If you do mix, and are mixing one or more gallons, the ratio ranges from 2/3 to 6 ounces per gallon. I often do small test areas using an inexpensive quart sprayer; however, now the ratios get small using teaspoons and tablespoons. Spooning herbicides is difficult and given that one fluid ounce equals approximately 29.6 cubic centimeters, I convert oz/gal to cc/qt. To convert multiply oz by 29.6 and then divide by 4. Then write the cc/qt on herbicide container. Then label the quart sprayer as a killer so you do not reuse it for something inappropriate. Syringes without a needle can be purchased at a pharmacy but they normally only carry up to 10 cc size. Your veterinarian will normally carry a 20 cc syringe which works well. The treatment of herbicides to kill the poison ivy is not a one shot affair, it may take several applications over years to eradicate and then a watchful eye to keep it gone.

Grass
I have had poison ivy in my yard for years and was not aware of it until the vines started climbing my trees. This illustrates the tenacity of the ivy to grow and patch in my yard even though it was being cut down every week during the growing season. The 2,4-D product, “Weed-B-Gon” is broad leaf weed killer and can be used without killing your grass. Again read and follow label directions.

Vines
In Michigan, woodbine, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy vines share the trait of attaching tightly to the tree with many tendrils, vine to tree connectors. Woodbine and Virginia creeper both have mature leaves in clusters of five. Grape vines over one-half inch in diameter tend to fall away from the tree, fewer tendrils. They have distinct leaves and of course grapes in the fall. Poison ivy vines present a problem. If the vines are short, under five feet, and if you can spray every leaf with a killer you can kill the vine and remove it after a month or so. If the vines are tall it should be cut close to the ground and the vine removed. The vine removal is the tricky part. On a small vine, under 1/2 inch, I cut them with a utility knife or side cutters and pull them down. A large screwdriver will help pry the vine from the tree in the difficult spots. If you have multiple vines on one tree, they tend to overlap each other and you have to watch the overlaps and pull the appropriate vine. Once the vine is down dispose of it properly. Mine went on the top of a brush pile. Do not compost ivy. NEVER BURN IVY. If you have to bag it, fold or cut the ivy so it stays contained, your trash hauler does want to be exposed either. I marked the tools and put them up and away because they are contaminated with urushiol.

Large vines
I cut large vines with an old saw or a cheap new one labeled poison ivy and put it high and out of the way, as it is contaminated with urushiol. In the back woods I cut the large vines to eliminate the seeds and clean out the ivy before harvesting. I just cut it, leave it, and spray if new growth appears. If I had a large vine in my yard I would cut out and remove an eight foot section and let the years take down the high vine.

Clothing
Prevention of poison ivy contact is the paramount goal while working to eradicate it. Protective clothing should be worn when removing vines; hat, long sleeve shirt, cotton gloves over latex gloves, and wrist socks. The wrist socks are made by cutting off a sock below the heel and cutting a hole in the heel for your thumb and pulling up over your sleeve. If the ivy sap comes in contact with your skin you have only several minutes to remove it. After 30 minutes you are only washing off the excess urushiol and you will have the ivy rash. I use laundry or dish detergent a couple of times then ordinary soap after handling ivy. Do not eat, smoke, or use the bathroom till clean. Keep hands away from face, no bug swats. The gloves and wrist socks should go straight into a plastic grocery bag and into the trash. Clothing should be washed by itself a couple of times. Replace shoe laces on boots if you have been stomping through the ivy.

Testing
I have read that the urushiol compounds can remain poisonous for up to two years. I tested leaves and small vine parts that were one year dead and detected no urushiol reaction of the detector strip. The results are more empirical than scientific but I would conclude the urushiol has become much less toxic in its dehydrated state. I would still use good judgment if working around ivy, long sleeves, gloves, etc and if very sensitive to ivy stay away from it.

Contaminated Tools
And after the fact, your rash has confirmed your contact with poison ivy, what to do with your contaminated tools? You can get secondary exposure by contacting contaminated sources, tools, clothing, and pets. I have researched and consulted with people in the organic chemistry field and have concluded that alcohol or a strong laundry detergent solution on a cloth or wipe appears to be our best answer at this time. Urushiol is only slightly soluble in alcohol or water, you can’t just spray on the solvent and wash it off. The cloth is a necessary component of the cleaning process. Apply either alcohol or detergent to a folded cloth make a few passes, refold the cloth and continue. The cleaning solvent allows the ivy sap to transfer to the cloth. By folding and refolding the cloth the ivy is transferred to the cloth and not just smeared around. Rubber gloves should also be used in this cleaning process.
Detergent could be placed in a disposable pan or a plastic soda bottle. Do not try to clean exposed cloths and reuse, discard them. Rubbing alcohol at 90% is the most effective and if put into a quart spray bottle makes it easer to disperse. Be aware that alcohol has a great affinity for water and will literally draw water from the air if left unsealed.
On tools like shovels only the handle needs to be cleaned. The blade should be self cleaning in the dirt. A chainsaw should have the chain and bar removed so the sawdust can be cleaned out from the sprocket-clutch assemble. Do not blow out with air, use an old toothbrush or a stick and then a cloth. Wipe off the bar and body parts using the folded cloth technique. The chain will clean itself when eating wood.

Poison Sumac
Poison sumac is a wetland plant. Unless you are a hunter or an ambitious land owner you would not normally come in contact with this plant. It resembles the staghorn sumac but has fewer and larger leaves. It flowers and forms drupes, small white berries, that hang down like a small white grape clusters. There are other wetland plants with white drupes but they tend to rise above the plant or have an umbrella shape. Staghorn and shining sumac are redheaded.

If you know of other proven ways please advise me and I will add them to this site.
 Thanks  davidboot@mei.net                Updated Aug. 07

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