This is an informative article that I enjoyed, thanks. I've been allergic since I can remember, having had a bad reaction when as a toddler some older kids played a trick on me by mixing poison ivy with honeysuckle as we were sucking the nectar from the flowers, and living in the south, being a surveyor, and being outside most of my life. I've learned to immediately recognize poison ivy and oak in its many variants. Once as an adult, on a job with no other choice, but having to work in it and cut through poison ivy overgrown lot on a hot humid day, me and my helper ended up in the hospital. Yes, steroid shots work. This was many years ago, the drugs have gotten better.The best prevention is to stay out of it. Jewel weed works well, but who has jewel weed handy? Technu works well if used in time. Bleach bath followed by a cool shower if available as soon as possible. Having poison ivy or oak on my land is not an option for me. Drastic measures are in order, and that means spraying herbicide concentrated enough to kill it. You can plant your plants after you get rid of the bad stuff. If it's a large vine then chop the vine leaving about a foot gap in the vine between root side and top side and spray the root side of the vine where you created the wound so the plant will suck up the poison. This should be done early spring before it makes seeds.
This is an informative article that I enjoyed, thanks. I've been allergic since I can remember, having had a bad reaction when as a toddler some older kids played a trick on me by mixing poison ivy with honeysuckle as we were sucking the nectar from the flowers, and living in the south, being a surveyor, and being outside most of my life. I've learned to immediately recognize poison ivy and oak in its many variants. Once as an adult, on a job with no other choice, but having to work in it and cut through poison ivy overgrown lot on a hot humid day, me and my helper ended up in the hospital. Yes, steroid shots work. This was many years ago, the drugs have gotten better.The best prevention is to stay out of it. Jewel weed works well, but who has jewel weed handy? Technu works well if used in time. Bleach bath followed by a cool shower if available as soon as possible. Having poison ivy or oak on my land is not an option for me. Drastic measures are in order, and that means spraying herbicide concentrated enough to kill it. You can plant your plants after you get rid of the bad stuff. If it's a large vine then chop the vine leaving about a foot gap in the vine between root side and top side and spray the root side of the vine where you created the wound so the plant will suck up the poison. This should be done early spring before it makes seeds.