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Poison Ivy #750463

Asked May 17, 2021, 4:02 PM EDT

I have lived in same house in Southeast Houston for 56 years. In the last two years, poison ivy has begun to take over the yard. It is covering my fence and growing up the trees. Nothing I have tried has slowed it down. My grandchildren are all really allergic and I think it is even causing problems with my poor dog. I am 81 years old and not able to physically deal with it. I have tried spraying Round Up Poison Ivy on it, but it doesn't seem to be doing much good, as well as it is harming my shrubs and bushes. Is there any method you can recommend to get rid of it?

Harris County Texas

Expert Response

The vine (in the pictures) growing on your fence is not poison ivy, it is pepper vine (Ampelopsis arborea) and the foliage is not poisonous. If Roundup has not been successful, try an herbicide with the active ingredient triclopyr. It can be applied to the foliage to knock it down. The best practice is to cut the base of the vine, about 10" off the ground and paint the fresh cut with the herbicide to keep it from growing back. Please read and follow all label directions.https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2008/jan08/Peppervine.html

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ampelopsis-arborea/

Thanks for the question.

Paul Winski Replied May 17, 2021, 4:19 PM EDT

Thank you for your quick reply.  The weed that seems to be the problem is not dark green in the beginning.  It is skinny and sprouts a reddish color--turning a  darker green as it ages.  It has leaves of three sprouting off the stem.  Is that not poison ivy?  My grandson breaks out in a really bad rash every time he mows the back yard.  It sprouts up all over the place--in the middle of the yard, along the fence line.   My neighbors have told me it is also showing up in their yards for the last few years, too. None of us have had much luck in getting rid of it.    Since I have gotten too old to work on the yard myself, and certainly my grandson can't manage it, how do I locate a service (if such a thing exists) to treat it?   I am sending different pictures.

The Question Asker Replied May 17, 2021, 9:19 PM EDT
Thank you for your prompt answer to my query.  I am enclosing another picture of the offending vine.  This comes up as a skinny, reddish colored stalk whose leaves turn a light green as it ages.  It pops up all over the  yard, not just on the fence, as if it is sprouting off of a root system.  I know with certainty that this is what my grandkids comes into contact with which results, shortly after, in itching and breaking out in blisters.  

On Monday, May 17, 2021, 03:19:10 PM CDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:


The Question Asker Replied May 18, 2021, 11:47 AM EDT

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