Battling Poison Ivy This Morning

Well, this morning, I did my first formal battle move against poison ivy on our property and it was satisfying! Two years ago, I thought I saw some out back (it turned out to be raspberries) and I was actually terrified. I ran to my husband, all panicky, and we honestly didn't know what to do. It really wasn't poison ivy, so it turned out to be a non-issue. But the point was, I was scared.

This year was different. I wasn't afraid of it -- I just wanted to handle it. So, after watching a lot of youtube videos, I decided to try the boiling water method, and started to boil up a lot of it. I found my mosquito netting coat, put on last winter's snow pants and rubber boots, and an old pair of garden gloves that my husband said I could have. I grabbed an old broken planter and started to find these nasty plants all over the property. I poured water on them and promptly decided, this feels like it might not work -- I may as well pull them up.

So, I got two planter-full's of them, pulled up as best as I could. For a lot of them, I didn't quite get the roots but I then used the boiling water to pour on the roots. I got most of what I could visually see in most of the yard done, pulled up, with boiling/hot water on the roots that remained.

There are still two main areas not touched yet ... in the very front of the yard where there is a big swath, and on the west side of the garage. I did about half an hour of it and that's all I could handle for one day, with how hot it was under those clothes and the overwhelm. But those ones are gone and it is very satisfying. My husband helped pour water for me and we used an old milk jug to pour it so we can throw that out.

My contaminated clothes are now sitting on the deck rails so the dog can't get at them and I now need to figure out how to wash those.

But more of the property has been reclaimed and it is satisfying! I felt like a "farmer's daughter," which is what I am. I grew up on a farm and come from a long line of farmers, but as a young person had no interest in growing anything. Our family left the farm when we were young but both my parents were excellent gardeners.

Here is one of the videos I watched in my pursuit of knowledge regarding this plant. I liked how he just dealt with it.



For the front yard and garage area, I am going to order some full-strength vinegar and also put down some cardboard on the whole area.

Here is one more video that I found fascinating that told how to never get a rash from it. This also really helped boost my confidence in dealing with this issue:



I am grateful to this site for all of you who are dealing with your land courageously and sharing your journey and wisdom with others and have learned so much.  This morning, I felt a bit more confident in learning to deal with the land that we have.

Hi Shari,.... Guess who...lol

Just looking out for you.

The boiling water works to kill it. What they might not have told you is..The chemical Urushiol is the irritant that causes the "itch", it's chemical composition consist of oily organic compounds who's molecules also included alcohol.

Never pour boiling water on it and allow the steam to come in contact with eyes, nose, ears, bareskin etc.

What happens is when it boils the plant in that flash of a second or 2, the molecules literally explode and rise with the steam and can "get you". and then the heat makes the oils release even more from the plant.

Also never burn it and stand near the fire, those same molecules will explode outward and become airborne and rise with the heat. It will seep into your skin and have the same effect as if rubbing it on yourself intentionally. Possibly worse.

Cold water works best to remove a live vine and the roots. Wear gloves and long sleeves, take the waterhose and jet down and around the stalk about 5-6in. away until you bore down around it and the saturation of the soil will make the soil become fluid allowing you to get the majority of the roots system.

Have you seen those that are climbing up 20' that you can't reach? my guess, yes.
Cut the vine at the base and leave enough to use as a handle. Leave the vine alone for 2-3 weeks to die and it will be much easier to pull down and wont have as much oil on the outer tissue of the leaves, limbs, etc.
Use the same method with the cold water to get the stump. Be VERY careful of the black oils oozing from the stump, leave a good handle on it not to touch that. Not even with gloves.
The best gloves to use are the chemical resistant one's from hardware store. Never use gloves that can absorb the oils. And never use gloves that can absorb the oils with out having like 2 layers of nitrile gloves beneath them.
take the gloves and soak them in soapy water and then dry and store them in a plastic bag.
If there is any residual oils it will be on whatever the gloves touch.

Oh P.S. the same for poison oak and sumac.

Happy Killing Poison Everything

I can't speak to whether or not the boiling water would be hot enough to vaporize the urishol. I wasn't there and, because it does matter how sensitive someone might be, refuse to suggest that potentially urishol-laden steam might not be dangerous.
That said, I have tried the hot/boiling water treatment on poison ivy. I have highly allergic. I did not have any trouble with after effects from that. I was in an area with a good breeze and air flow and was careful to not have my face too close to the "treatment area".

As far as that goes, it worked.
For me, mechanical removal - pulling the vines and roots out by hand - was more effective. It didn't last, poison ivy can be very aggressive, but at least temporarily we had much less poison ivy around. I did bag it up carefully (double bagged) and it went to the landfill, because I still have no idea what a good means of disposal for that might be. Maybe in a thousand years archeologists might have better treatments for it available. I pity the intern who finds that bag.

DO NOT burn poison ivy. Period. End of story. Urishol is very persistent and can kill if breathed in.

If you have had no previous exposure to poison ivy, the odds are in your favor that you will not have an extreme reaction. You may not have any reaction. It is a truism that people who are regularly exposed to a particular type of poison ivy can, over time, become immune to the effect. That immunity wears off over time. It's a histological process, one that involves the immune system, so it's not a good idea for anyone who has a compromised immune system to expose themselves.

As far as cleaning your "poison ivy hunting" clothes? I would treat the urishol like any other plant based oil - anything that works to lift or "dissolve" oil would work on it. There are also specific soaps that are recommended for use after exposure: Tecnu is a brand I have used before to clean my clothes. I also follow up that load of wash by washing again with Simple Green, but that's from spending way too much time getting oil out of Navy uniforms (Simple Green is amazing for getting rid of "eau de Boat"). So, two washes, one with a soap that works on urishol and one for general oils and such. I'm paranoid.

While I hate sending people to Amazon, this is the easiest way to share the information with you. Amazon - Tecnu soap

Here's another link :Best treatments for poison ivy rash
And another: The best poison ivy soaps according to the Miami Herald

Other that the Tecnu, using a good dish soap instead of anything more gentle on my skin, and making sure that EVERYTHING was washed well, there's not much else you can do.
Good luck!

Will Wit wrote:Hi Shari,.... Guess who...lol

The boiling water works to kill it. What they might not have told you is..The chemical Urushiol is the irritant that causes the "itch", it's chemical composition consist of oily organic compounds who's molecules also included alcohol.

Never pour boiling water on it and allow the steam to come in contact with eyes, nose, ears, bareskin etc.

What happens is when it boils the plant in that flash of a second or 2, the molecules literally explode and rise with the steam and can "get you". and then the heat makes the oils release even more from the plant.

Cold water works best to remove a live vine and the roots. Wear gloves and long sleeves, take the waterhose and jet down and around the stalk about 5-6in. away until you bore down around it and the saturation of the soil will make the soil become fluid allowing you to get the majority of the roots system.

Have you seen those that are climbing up 20' that you can't reach? my guess, yes.
Cut the vine at the base and leave enough to use as a handle. Leave the vine alone for 2-3 weeks to die and it will be much easier to pull down and wont have as much oil on the outer tissue of the leaves, limbs, etc.
Use the same method with the cold water to get the stump. Be VERY careful of the black oils oozing from the stump, leave a good handle on it not to touch that. Not even with gloves.
The best gloves to use are the chemical resistant one's from hardware store. Never use gloves that can absorb the oils. And never use gloves that can absorb the oils with out having like 2 layers of nitrile gloves beneath them.
take the gloves and soak them in soapy water and then dry and store them in a plastic bag.
If there is any residual oils it will be on whatever the gloves touch.

Oh P.S. the same for poison oak and sumac.

Happy Killing Poison Everything

Thanks again, Will. This is great information. I didn't know that about the oils exploding into steam but it makes sense. I think I may have had some on my eye because I got some swelling the next day. I will be careful to not get as close next time. I am finding that I just want to remove it physically because then I know it's done for then, even if some of it grows back. And then just pouring boiling water on whatever's left.  I also want to get some of the full-strength vinegar for the prolific areas. Surprisingly, I haven't found any of those vines yet.

Kristine Keeney wrote:I can't speak to whether or not the boiling water would be hot enough to vaporize the urishol. I wasn't there and, because it does matter how sensitive someone might be, refuse to suggest that potentially urishol-laden steam might not be dangerous.
That said, I have tried the hot/boiling water treatment on poison ivy. I have highly allergic. I did not have any trouble with after effects from that. I was in an area with a good breeze and air flow and was careful to not have my face too close to the "treatment area".

As far as that goes, it worked.
For me, mechanical removal - pulling the vines and roots out by hand - was more effective. It didn't last, poison ivy can be very aggressive, but at least temporarily we had much less poison ivy around. I did bag it up carefully (double bagged) and it went to the landfill, because I still have no idea what a good means of disposal for that might be. Maybe in a thousand years archeologists might have better treatments for it available. I pity the intern who finds that bag.

DO NOT burn poison ivy. Period. End of story. Urishol is very persistent and can kill if breathed in.

Sorry, I thought I had responded to this one! Yes, exactly, the boiling water could be a risk, for sure, but when you're desperate. Amen to the burning thing!

If you have had no previous exposure to poison ivy, the odds are in your favor that you will not have an extreme reaction. You may not have any reaction. It is a truism that people who are regularly exposed to a particular type of poison ivy can, over time, become immune to the effect. That immunity wears off over time. It's a histological process, one that involves the immune system, so it's not a good idea for anyone who has a compromised immune system to expose themselves.

Very interesting! That is the reason I want to get rid of it -- because I don't want anyone else to be at risk. I would hate for someone to suffer because of our yard.

As far as cleaning your "poison ivy hunting" clothes? I would treat the urishol like any other plant based oil - anything that works to lift or "dissolve" oil would work on it. There are also specific soaps that are recommended for use after exposure: Tecnu is a brand I have used before to clean my clothes. I also follow up that load of wash by washing again with Simple Green, but that's from spending way too much time getting oil out of Navy uniforms (Simple Green is amazing for getting rid of "eau de Boat"). So, two washes, one with a soap that works on urishol and one for general oils and such. I'm paranoid.

While I hate sending people to Amazon, this is the easiest way to share the information with you. Amazon - Tecnu soap

Here's another link :Best treatments for poison ivy rash
And another: The best poison ivy soaps according to the Miami Herald

Thanks for all the info and the wisdom about cleaning the clothes! I have had those clothes sitting on the deck. I honestly don't think they even got touched but I am just cautious.

I just wanted to post an update to my poison ivy battle. After pouring boiling water over it about a month ago, life got busy and I left it all. The results were not too impressive. A couple of the leaves were burned-looking but that was about it. They still kept growing and expanding their territory.

I had ordered some industrial-strength vinegar but there was a problem with shipping and it didn't arrive. So, I decided to buy some cleaning vinegar (10% strength) locally and use the sprayer that did come in the mail.

So, I started Round Two last night and wanted to report the results so far. One thing I learned from research is that you need to give several applications with the home treatments, whether boiling water or vinegar. So, I sprayed last night and plan to do so for several days, until it's gone, hopefully!

I am including some pictures of what some of the plants look like after one spray. I will post with more updates in the days to come. I hope they will eventually die off altogether and will need to decide what to do after that to stop them from coming back altogether. A guy I talked to who worked at Canadian Tire said he planted mint and it never came back. I have also read that planting grass stops poison ivy from growing. I may try to dig up the roots -- I haven't decided yet.

I also know that there is poison ivy that I am not reaching now but I want to concentrate on the stuff I can see for now. Even if takes me all season, the battle will be worth it.

I also wanted to share that my dog had a bad reaction to the vinegar spray. She started rolling around and getting upset when I was spraying. I imagine the vinegar is hard on her lungs and I will try to remember to keep her inside when I do it, so it doesn't affect her. It shows me that vinegar must be quite a potent ingredient. She also hates it when we spray garlic spray for the mosquitoes.

One other issue is that I still can't always recognize p.i. when I see it and think I may have killed some berry plants accidentally.

I will also share one the videos I watched which he did three applications before it was gone. This inspired me!

Shari Clark wrote:So, I started Round Two last night and wanted to report the results so far. One thing I learned from research is that you need to give several applications with the home treatments, whether boiling water or vinegar. So, I sprayed last night and plan to do so for several days, until it's gone, hopefully!

Yes.
This is true with most homemade remedies. Commercial preparations can be much stronger and more dangerous than anything you make at home because you have limitations they don't. Commercial plants are able to play with chemicals and things that are almost scary in their strength.

Be glad that you don't have to work with that level of acids and bases as part of your regular routine. I would much rather have to do something multiple times and be safe while doing it than have to worry about burning the mucus membranes of my nose, eyes, and mouth out because I breathed at the wrong time.

Shari Clark wrote:I also wanted to share that my dog had a bad reaction to the vinegar spray. She started rolling around and getting upset when I was spraying. I imagine the vinegar is hard on her lungs and I will try to remember to keep her inside when I do it, so it doesn't affect her. It shows me that vinegar must be quite a potent ingredient. She also hates it when we spray garlic spray for the mosquitoes.

Try to keep your dog away from where you are. Somewhere she can't be effected by the spray is best - inside if she's an indoor dog, somewhere far from the treatment area if she's not.
Vinegar is an acid. Acids burn. Her nose is geometrically more sensitive than yours is and what she gets out of those sprays probably renders her "nose blind" for days afterwards. Since dogs do get a lot of their general information from scent, that's a serious problem for her. Just lock her away from you until you have finished spraying, then you can let her "help" as much as you and she agree is useful.

The garlic spray probably does something similar for her. Garlic is a very strong scent and ... nose blindness can happen for people, too. She was rolling around, and probably wiping her face on stuff, to try to get the spray out from her mucus membranes. Burning hurts and, ... yeah. Just try to watch the airflow and try not to spray where she might be effected.

Shari Clark wrote:One other issue is that I still can't always recognize p.i. when I see it and think I may have killed some berry plants accidentally.

Not being able to recognize Poison Ivy is worse than spraying things that may or may not have been Poison Ivy. With the problem of Poison Ivy having so many different variations and growth patterns, other than the old homily "Leaves of Three, let them be", there's not much to help.

The leaflets always follow the same pattern which is how someone who has more experience can identify poison ivy just about anywhere is able to  notice the similarities. Each "leaf" is made up of three varying leaflets. Those leaflets can be smooth, small, have serrated edges, be differently shaped from each other, and have different shapes on the same plant. Add in that it flowers, grows small berries that birds like to eat, and spreads through rhizomes just in case it wasn't expanding itself quickly enough otherwise, ... And it changes color in the fall. It can be beautiful reds and yellows and it's good for pollinators and birds. It's really a shame that it contains such high levels of urishol.

It can be a creeping ground cover, a vine, a shrub, or a "hairy vine". Goats and sheep love to eat it and don't seem to be effected by it, so I'm hoping to borrow a goat or two from my neighbor to clean out a few areas on my property, at least until I can find a way or pay a brave soul to clean it out.

If you accidentally zapped the raspberries ... Life Happens. You can wash the leaves off if you find the potentially damaged area soon enough, but raspberries are tough. As long as you didn't treat the entire plant, and the roots are protected from the vinegar and salt, they will recover. They'll look sad until they do, but they would prefer to not have to fight the poison ivy, too!

The only way I can see grass as being a help to control poison ivy is that you would mow it relatively close on a regular basis. That will work to control most non-grass plants, but you have to purposely do it a little closer than the 8cm/3 inches length recommended as the lowest height for most permaculture areas. It's a choice. It works. I can see where my neighbor regularly mows my yard much closer then the 3 inches I prefer, but those parts of my yard don't have any weeds to speak of and will be turned into a garden bed as soon as I can get around to it. He doesn't mow my rose, so I'll see if he'll purposely knock over a short fence and mow squash and late corn (or something. I haven't decided what I'm planting in the as-of-yet non-existent bed).

I wish you luck in your battle. Just keep at it. You have identified the problem and have two tools in your belt. You can do this!

Kristine Keeney wrote:
This is true with most homemade remedies. Commercial preparations can be much stronger and more dangerous than anything you make at home because you have limitations they don't. Commercial plants are able to play with chemicals and things that are almost scary in their strength.

Be glad that you don't have to work with that level of acids and bases as part of your regular routine. I would much rather have to do something multiple times and be safe while doing it than have to worry about burning the mucus membranes of my nose, eyes, and mouth out because I breathed at the wrong time.

Yes, I quite agree! I don't mind having to do it many times because it is so much safer than any of those scary chemical compounds.

Try to keep your dog away from where you are. Somewhere she can't be effected by the spray is best - inside if she's an indoor dog, somewhere far from the treatment area if she's not.
Vinegar is an acid. Acids burn. Her nose is geometrically more sensitive than yours is and what she gets out of those sprays probably renders her "nose blind" for days afterwards. Since dogs do get a lot of their general information from scent, that's a serious problem for her. Just lock her away from you until you have finished spraying, then you can let her "help" as much as you and she agree is useful.

The garlic spray probably does something similar for her. Garlic is a very strong scent and ... nose blindness can happen for people, too. She was rolling around, and probably wiping her face on stuff, to try to get the spray out from her mucus membranes. Burning hurts and, ... yeah. Just try to watch the airflow and try not to spray where she might be effected.  

Oh, thank you so much for the information. I didn't realize that it was harming her until I saw her rolling around today but I will definitely keep her inside for those times I'm doing it. She is both an indoor and outdoor dog.

Not being able to recognize Poison Ivy is worse than spraying things that may or may not have been Poison Ivy. With the problem of Poison Ivy having so many different variations and growth patterns, other than the old homily "Leaves of Three, let them be", there's not much to help.

The leaflets always follow the same pattern which is how someone who has more experience can identify poison ivy just about anywhere is able to  notice the similarities. Each "leaf" is made up of three varying leaflets. Those leaflets can be smooth, small, have serrated edges, be differently shaped from each other, and have different shapes on the same plant. Add in that it flowers, grows small berries that birds like to eat, and spreads through rhizomes just in case it wasn't expanding itself quickly enough otherwise, ... And it changes color in the fall. It can be beautiful reds and yellows and it's good for pollinators and birds. It's really a shame that it contains such high levels of urishol.

It can be a creeping ground cover, a vine, a shrub, or a "hairy vine". Goats and sheep love to eat it and don't seem to be effected by it, so I'm hoping to borrow a goat or two from my neighbor to clean out a few areas on my property, at least until I can find a way or pay a brave soul to clean it out.

If you accidentally zapped the raspberries ... Life Happens. You can wash the leaves off if you find the potentially damaged area soon enough, but raspberries are tough. As long as you didn't treat the entire plant, and the roots are protected from the vinegar and salt, they will recover. They'll look sad until they do, but they would prefer to not have to fight the poison ivy, too!

Yes, exactly, life happens! I have to take action and there are some mistakes, it will have been worth getting rid of this awful stuff.  I am learning to recognize it in most cases but then there are a few places where I still doubt myself. That's good to hear that the raspberries will probably survive. And just to be accurate, I actually only vinegar and soap, not the salt.

The only way I can see grass as being a help to control poison ivy is that you would mow it relatively close on a regular basis. That will work to control most non-grass plants, but you have to purposely do it a little closer than the 8cm/3 inches length recommended as the lowest height for most permaculture areas. It's a choice. It works. I can see where my neighbor regularly mows my yard much closer then the 3 inches I prefer, but those parts of my yard don't have any weeds to speak of and will be turned into a garden bed as soon as I can get around to it. He doesn't mow my rose, so I'll see if he'll purposely knock over a short fence and mow squash and late corn (or something. I haven't decided what I'm planting in the as-of-yet non-existent bed).

Interesting info about the grass. I am not sure how long we are cutting the grass right now. Thanks for all the encouragement. I wish you all the best in finding someone to help you with yours, too! Have yourself a wonderful day.

Okay, I am continuing to document my progress. I went out again today to battle against this diabolical plant.

Some of the smaller-sized plants look completely dead, and you can barely see them now because they have fallen down. Others are what we call, when cutting lumber, "standing dead." They are still holding their shape, but the leaves are completely brown. Still, others, the biggest specimens, look like they have been slightly singed but are still very much alive. Each time I go out, I notice more plants than the last time. I swear they are reproducing overnight just to spite me for daring to come against them. I have now gone through two bottles of the 10% vinegar and almost half a bottle of dish soap. And I'm just getting started. This time, the puppy stayed inside.

I have a question about what to do with the dead species, which sometimes I can barely notice. Is it still "toxic" and able to cause harm if touched? Is the urushiol (from the sap) still a hazard until I remove the plants completely? I ask this because I know people are concerned about having poison ivy in their compost or raked-up leaves. These are now dead leaves on my property and I wonder if they are dangerous. I have tried to google this question but haven't come up with an answer yet.

I will not give up! I just need to buy more vinegar. I also am still confused with some plants. It is even more confusing now because some of the plants are losing their leaves due to the vinegar and are more difficult to identify. I included a "elephant-ear-looking pant that I am not sure about. I am pretty sure I sprayed it at one time and I think it may have morphed? But I am not sure. I have included a picture below.

The weird "elephant ear looking plant" looks like trillium to me. Just a rough glance and I might be wrong. It definitely doesn't look like poison ivy. It's some sort of northern wild plant native to woody areas.

My husband wandered by while I was reading your post and said "That's some pretty variegated poison ivy!" I think the variegated leaves are more of a Virginia Creeper kind of plant - look *like* but probably isn't a poison ivy variation.

Your "standing dead" plants aren't dead. If you want to do an experiment, all you have to do is give them a good watering and wait. 75% of the time they will resprout somewhere along the length of plant and pick up where they dropped off.
I consider poison ivy to be dead when it's crunchy brittle - you can crumble it up. It still has the urishol - that stuff is a plant oil and doesn't go anywhere without a reason. Think of it as being like berry stickers - it grabs onto what brushes against it, or maybe wet paint that can be rubbed off the surface it sits on. The urishol is still in the leaves and stem (and roots) and will break down over time. It should be relatively safe for composting - the biological breakdown works on it as well as it works on other biological things, but I wouldn't put it into a leaf pile for jumping into or put it into anything where it was going to be handled with bare hands.

Now, because of health concerns, I don't do anything outside without at least one pair of gloves on. If I know I'm going to be mucking about with something potentially yucky or reactive with my skin, I'll put on a pair of disposable gloves under my gardening or chickening gloves. I know the vast majority of people don't have to worry about those same sorts of things, so gardening gloves would be fine. I would be hesitant about digging around with biological materials without gloves, but your immune system might work. As with all things, do what you are most comfortable with.

Your question about what to do with the dead poison ivy is the same as the one I faced when I made the decision to double plastic bag it and send it to the local landfill in the hope that future archeologists will have ways of dealing with urishol laden plant matter that I can't think of. If you happened to have a local incinerator - the ones they use for biomedical waste, not one for housing - that would probably hit a high enough temperature I would feel safe with burning. Or bury it under your compost pile and wait a year or three. I'm a little paranoid about dealing with it and offering any advice to someone who may be around someone who might be allergic to it.
I hope you can come up with a solution that works for you.

Just thought of one! If you have a chance - bury it at the very bottom layer of a hugel! Dig the soil and dirt out, put in the poison ivy and cover it with the wood bits, then cover it all up! By the time the hugel needs any sort of re-doing, the tender layer of poison ivy will have completely broken down and turned into lovely plant food and bits of good earth.
Time and decomposition can work miracles.

Kristine Keeney wrote:The weird "elephant ear looking plant" looks like trillium to me. Just a rough glance and I might be wrong. It definitely doesn't look like poison ivy. It's some sort of northern wild plant native to woody areas.

Thanks, Kristine! Yes, looking at the trillium id, that does look like it.

My husband wandered by while I was reading your post and said "Thit's some pretty variegated poison ivy!" I think the variegated leaves are more of a Virginia Creeper kind of plant - look *like* but probably isn't a poison ivy variation.

The picture I showed is actually goutweed mixed in with the poison ivy. I accidentally hit a bit of it but the poison ivy is underneath and has nearly all died.

Your "standing dead" plants aren't dead. If you want to do an experiment, all you have to do is give them a good watering and wait. 75% of the time they will resprout somewhere along the length of plant and pick up where they dropped off.

Oh really? That makes me really sad! Darn!!! I will not be rewatering them except with vinegar, ha ha.

I consider poison ivy to be dead when it's crunchy brittle - you can crumble it up. It still has the urishol - that stuff is a plant oil and doesn't go anywhere without a reason. Think of it as being like berry stickers - it grabs onto what brushes against it, or maybe wet paint that can be rubbed off the surface it sits on. The urishol is still in the leaves and stem (and roots) and will break down over time. It should be relatively safe for composting - the biological breakdown works on it as well as it works on other biological things, but I wouldn't put it into a leaf pile for jumping into or put it into anything where it was going to be handled with bare hands.

Okay, that's kind of what I figured with the urishol. It's hard to pick up once it's brittle like that, though. It's basically picking up crunchy leaves. And you don't want to use any implements to do so. I guess I can use gloves and carefully put in a bag and then, like you said, double-bag it. I was so focused on killing it that I never thought of what I would do with the carcass, so to speak. It all seems so complicated.

Just thought of one! If you have a chance - bury it at the very bottom layer of a hugel! Dug the soil and dirt out, put in the poison ivy and cover it with the wood bits, then cover it all up! By the time the hugel needs any sot of re-doing, the  tender layer of poison ivy will have completely broken down and turned into lovely plant food and bits of good earth.
Time and decomposition can work miracles.

Good to know that it eventually breaks down but I want to get out of our immediate vicinity right now. I think the double-bagged idea is good for me, too, unless something else presents itself. Thanks for sharing my journey once more with our shared nemesis. Have a wonderful night.

I wanted to update my battle with the poison ivy on our woodland property.

After using vinegar to try to kill it, which helped, I did another round of pulling out plants, putting on my protective gear, and getting as much as I could in an hour.  (That's all I could stand with all those hot clothes on.) That helped quite a bit and got rid of most of the plants that were easily visible around the yard.

I have noticed some that I did not pull up but sprayed are dying out, so the vinegar (10% concentration) really does seem to work. It's just expensive to buy, especially considering how much of it there is on our land.

Today, I found another way of dealing with it. I was walking through our forest part, which I usually avoid because of the ivy, and decided to try to cover it with the thistles which seem to be growing right beside it. (how convenient!) So, I started just throwing down the thistles on top of the poison ivy plants as much as I could. I then decided to take the huge pile of weeds I have piled beside my compost bin and throw them down unto the poison ivy. I love this idea and it is truly permaculturish because it uses the problem (other weeds) as a solution. That really buried these devils! I am very excited to make a plan to get to the back part of the property this year as I use this method to kill off the poison ivy.