If you ’re allergic to poison English ivy ( Toxicodendron radicans ) , I do n’t have to narrate you howwant - to - peel - your - skin - offitchy it can be . In my young , I was hypersensitive to this devil of a plant and would spend a few weeks every spring or summer in big wretchedness . Fortunately , I grow out of my sensitivity and have utterly no response to the plant ’s resin now , even if I pull it out with my bare hands ( not deliberately , but sometimes I earn it after the fact ) .
What causes itching from poison ivy?
What we ’re actually supersensitised to in poison Hedera helix , poisonous substance oak tree , and poisonous substance sumac is the oleaginous sap calledurushiol , which cause a form of supersensitive touch dermatitis . Because of its sticky property , urushiolcan stick to garden instrument , clothing , skin , tomentum , your firedog ’s pelt , just about anything . And it ’s not just the leaves which hold the sap – it ’s in every part of the plant , including the roots .
Forgardeners , a poisonous substance ivy allergic reaction is a serious handicap , since it ’s so gentle to brush up against a plant without being cognisant of its presence . In fact , I get it on of more than a few gardener who are so allergic to poison common ivy that they run from it in fear and call non - allergic friends to get rid of it for them .
But if you ’re young to removing this noxious plant , you should be warned that poisonous substance common ivy like to fight back . It can be very difficult to remove entirely ( let in all roots ) and you ’ll be doing it while trying to not make forcible contact with any part of the plant . It can be quite challenging .
Dos and Don’ts for handling poison ivy:
How to remove poison ivy safely
According To Mike McGrath , former editor program of Organic Gardening magazine and host ofYou Bet Your Garden on NPR , the best way to remove poisonous substance ivy is with a heavy - duty garbage bag . But before you do anything , clothe yourself from head to toe , let in gardening or work gloves , so you do n’t make out in liaison with the urushiol .
wrap up the garbage bag completely around the plant , cover it totally , and then slowly pull it out of the ground . While still take for the plant in the food waste traveling bag , carefully enwrap the bag around any exposed portions of the plant life . Immediately dispose of the bag and plant in a garbage can . Do not use the same cup of tea twice , as the sap from the industrial plant will be all over the bag . After you ’re finished , straight off wash your clothing thoroughly and scrub every part of your physical structure unobjectionable with soap and water .
It ’s a good musical theme to plant aperennialin place of the poison ivy because if you do n’t take out out every last patch of the rootage , the plant will probably grow back . And then it may search retaliation . Poison Ivy is nothing if not persistent .
More information on poison ivy is atpoisonivy.organd thecenter for disease ascendency ’s pageboy on poisonous plant
