How to keep poison ivy out of your garden for good

This troublesome plant should stay far away from your yard.

Key Points

• Poison ivy can harm your skin and garden, so keeping it out protects both your health and plants.
• Learn to identify poison ivy by its three-leaf pattern and monitor your yard regularly to catch it early.
• Use ground covers, mulch, and herbicides to prevent the spread of poison ivy and safely remove it when necessary.

Poison ivy is an infamous plant known for causing a painful, itchy rash when it comes into contact with skin. The reactions can be severe in some cases—and annoying at the very least—so avoiding it is important. Not only does poison ivy pose a danger to those who come into contact with it, but it’s also bad for your garden. It’s a rapidly spreading vine that can wreak havoc on your shrubs and other plants.

How can you prevent poison ivy from creeping into your garden? Ahead, we asked experts how to keep it out of your yard.

Meet Our Expert

• Galen Gates, horticulturist, consultant, and professor
• Teresa Watkins, landscape designer, garden author, and syndicated radio host of Better Lawns and Gardens

Related: Expert-Approved Tips for Removing Poison Ivy Oil from Contaminated Clothes

Identify Poison Ivy

Poison ivy grows throughout the United States except Alaska, Hawaii, and some parts of the West Coast. You can’t prevent poison ivy from getting into your yard unless you know what it looks like and how it grows. 

It can be particularly challenging to identify poison ivy at the seedling stage, when it resembles hundreds of other small weeds. However, as it grows, you can identify it with the “three leaves, let it be” rule, says horticulturist Galen Gates. Poison ivy has compound leaves with three leaflets, either smooth or toothed. The center leaflet is attached by a noticeably longer stem, and the leaves are often asymmetrical. The side leaflets also grow directly opposite each other, making this arrangement a helpful way to identify the plant. New leaves frequently emerge reddish, and the plant may grow as a ground cover, shrub, or climbing vine with hairy aerial roots.

“It’s most often seen climbing as a vine, but it will also creep along the ground,” says Gates, noting that while attractive white berries appear in late summer that are consumed by wildlife, it’s poisonous to humans. “It also displays a beautiful fall color, but the vine should never be touched directly.”

Do your research and familiarize yourself with photographs of poison ivy if you suspect that it may be approaching your yard. This will help you identify it accurately so you can take direct action.

Related: 10 Climbing Plants That Can Secretly Damage Your Home

Be Vigilant

Once you know what it looks like, it’s important to monitor your garden regularly. If you can catch and eliminate a few small plants as they invade from the edges of your property, then you can help prevent a big headache.

“It amounts to a watchful eye,” says Gates. “Birds distribute the seeds, so they can bring it in from anywhere in the area. Be mindful of three leaflets on the ground or overhead and eliminate it right away.” Consider planting a robust, rapidly growing ground cover in wooded transition areas. 

Keep a Healthy Lawn

Dense, strong turf grass is basically a built-in weed wall around your property. When the turf grass is growing well, it’s difficult for other plants—including poison ivy—to encroach. “The most likely area where the plant will originate is a less-kept area of the property,” says Gates. So try your best to keep even the more rustic edges of your yard mowed and maintained. Mulching can also create barriers that ivy will have difficulty traversing. 

Related: When and How to Aerate Your Lawn for Thicker, Healthier Grass

Consider Herbicide When Needed

Homeowners are often reluctant to resort to sprays to kill ordinary weeds, but when it comes to something as toxic as poison ivy, you may want to consider using herbicides for safety. You don’t need to use a general herbicide like glyphosate that will eliminate all plants—you can select a targeted broadleaf option.

“Herbicides containing 2,4-D, dicamba, or triclopyr are effective, with triclopyr working especially well on older, woody poison ivy vines,” says landscape designer Teresa Watkins. She suggests using a spray herbicide for poison ivy that has gotten a strong hold in the landscape. “After the plant dies, carefully clear away any dead debris or overhead vines. For small plants under 12 inches, spot-spraying is still a good option.”

Attempt Removal Where Feasible

In some situations, you may be able to physically remove the poison ivy from your yard, garden, or landscape. But doing so requires a great deal of caution. “Stay fully covered and remove contaminated clothing while wearing gloves,” says Watkins. “Anything used to remove poison ivy should be cleaned thoroughly, because the plant’s oils are invisible and can remain active for years on clothing, shoes, and equipment.” Your rakes, clippers, shovels—anything you use to gently remove the vines — will need to be cleaned afterward. The more you can use tools and not your own gloved hands, the better. 

Any poison ivy you remove, including roots and vines, should be placed in heavy-duty plastic garbage bags, tied securely, and added directly into your regular household trash (or according to local regulations). Never burn or compost the plant.

Read the original article on Martha Stewart