| Author | Content |
| mygypsyrose Browns Mills, NJ Zone 6b May 4, 2008 | I don't know if I planted this, or if it planted itself and needs to stay or go. Thanks in advance :-) Andrea
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| DawnG Chardon, OH Zone 5a May 4, 2008 | Probably bird planted. I hope you haven't touched it yet, because that really looks like poison ivy. Their new leaves come out red or pink and they don't always have all the teeth that they will later. Just be careful. Birds do love the fruits on mature poison ivy plants and plant the seeds wherever they perch. |
| sarazen Glen Rock, PA Zone 6b May 4, 2008 | If I'm not mistaken, what you have there is some poison ivy. Proceed with extreme caution. And if you were me, malice. |
| vanillaman San Gerardo de Rivas (CR) Zone 11 May 4, 2008 | That's exactly what I think it is, Toxicodendron radicans. |
| charlenesplants Buffalo, TX Zone 8b May 4, 2008 | Bad!! really bad! Itching, oozing and misery for weeks. Carefully remove without touching and put in trash. Don't compost or burn this plant. Aren't you glad you have DG? You might have made a really big boo boo. This alone is worth the whole year's fee. Believe me the cost of getting over the stuff is much higher than the fourteen dollars. Charlene |
| vanillaman San Gerardo de Rivas (CR) Zone 11 May 4, 2008 | I had a hard time finding a photo that looked similar. Poison Ivy leaves look like yours when they first emerge in the Spring. [HYPERLINK@www.blitzworld.com] [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com] |
| vanillaman San Gerardo de Rivas (CR) Zone 11 May 4, 2008 | Some of the photos of people who get the reaction are GROSS! I'm lucky I'm not sensitive to it and could probably roll around in it with no problems, lol! However I think about 80% of people do react to it. |
| ecrane3 Dublin, CA Zone 9a May 4, 2008 | You're lucky that you don't have a reaction--but you should still be careful not to expose yourself to it. It's a sensitizer, which means even if you're not allergic now, if you're exposed to it repeatedly you can develop a reaction to it down the road. But I don't even know if you have poison ivy down there in Costa Rica so you may not have to worry! |
| vanillaman San Gerardo de Rivas (CR) Zone 11 May 5, 2008 | Thanks ecrane3 for your concern, lol! No, we don't have it down here, thank goodness. Back where I lived in Canada, I had it all over the place, and I know I accidentally was in contact with it then. It seemed to grow in my favourite walking/hiking places. I would never purposely touch it and always watched out for it. |
| charlenesplants Buffalo, TX Zone 8b May 5, 2008 | I hate to scare anyone, but I am 60 years old and never had a problem with either poison ivy or oak or sumac. Last fall, I got into poison ivy and didn't concern myself with it. BIG mistake!! For the first time ever, it caused an allergic reaction. Don't think because it has never bothered you before that it is safe to roll in it. NOT so! Charlene |
| ecrane3 Dublin, CA Zone 9a May 5, 2008 | That's why I posted the warning earlier--I think a lot of people aren't aware that you can become allergic to it even if you didn't used to be. Nasty stuff! |
| vanillaman San Gerardo de Rivas (CR) Zone 11 May 5, 2008 | Charlene: That's terrible that you developed an allergic reaction to it. As I mentioned, the photos I saw looked very scary. It's unbelievable what it does to your skin! I didn't mean to trivialize or downplay the importance of using extreme caution when you are in an area where this plant grows. People should know how to identify it and watch out for it! I'm sure ecrane3's post helped to inform people here that you can develop a reaction at some time "down the road" because it is a "sensitizer", as she pointed out! You're post confirms that by your own personal experience last year. However, I did write [quote]I would never purposely touch it and always watched out for it.[/quote] to show that I wasn't serious when I wrote that I could probably roll around in it. vm |
| plantladylin East Central, FL Zone 9a May 5, 2008 | Yep, definitely poison ivy ... we were told as kids, "Three Leaves, Let it Be"! [HYPERLINK@davesgarden.com] |
| mygypsyrose Browns Mills, NJ Zone 6b May 6, 2008 | aw crud. I have a few spots on my legs that are sores. well now I know what it looks like when it's young. looks like I'll be yanking it out with gloves this time :-). |
| plantladylin East Central, FL Zone 9a May 7, 2008 | Then wash those gloves in hot soapy water ... or you could still transfer the toxins from the gloves to your skin. |
| mygypsyrose Browns Mills, NJ Zone 6b May 9, 2008 | ok, thanks. I realize there are more little seedlings around here, now that I know what I'm looking at. A blowtorch is starting to look good ;-) |
| claypa West Pottsgrove, PA Zone 6b May 9, 2008 | The smoke can be really bad too - you'd be better off pulling it out. And maybe use gloves you can throw away. |
| sarazen Glen Rock, PA Zone 6b May 9, 2008 | Yes, claypa is right, the smoke is dangerous. The urishiol, evil oil, does not burn up but rather becomes airborne when torched. It has at times been a serious problem for fire-fighters working forest or wild blazes. The smoke has been known to get into the lungs, and for sensitive people it can put you in the hospital. Much as I would love to burn this stuff up, an I hate it with a desperation best reserved for traitors, brigands, and thieves, I have to concur, burning is not the way to go. I do feel your pain, in having to deal with this nasty stuff. I have been doing battle with it in my own yard since last year. In the fall my husband and I must have cut close to 200 vines some over thirty feet tall, and as thick as my forearm. This spring I have been going after the ones we missed and the new shoots and seedlings. I expect to be at this for a while. In fact, I think I'll start a thread over in invasives to share my efforts at removal. All will be welcome to commiserate, cry and scratch. |
