End The Tyranny Of The Lawn!!

[Bob the Unbeliever]

Poison ivy will indeed climb as a vine, like ivy.

Some varieties will. Not all of them, though. But yes, I've seen it climbing trees like a green lace covering.

Back in the day?

We'd have just cut the darn tree down and burnt the whole mess....

.... like some people feel about spiders.... "BLOW UP THE HOUSE! THERE ARE SPIDERS IN THERE!"

 

[Revoltingest]

Some varieties will. Not all of them, though. But yes, I've seen it climbing trees like a green lace covering.

Back in the day?

We'd have just cut the darn tree down and burnt the whole mess....

.... like some people feel about spiders.... "BLOW UP THE HOUSE! THERE ARE SPIDERS IN THERE!"

Burning poison ivy is quite dangerous.
A susceptible person getting a lungful of the smoke would be in a very bad way.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

There are several varieties of toxic-oil plants, poison ivy, poison oak and several others. As I recall, none are actually "ivy" in the classic sense. Most, that I've spotted, grow like low-lying ground cover, or very small bush-like shrubs. Some grows like vines, but those seem to be less common around here.

Toxicity varies, as does the reaction among humans-- some folk are deathly vulnerable, whereas others ignore it completely, not even so much as an itch.

However, again--varies from person to person-- repeated exposure can increase the vulnerability (or just the opposite can also be true).

Me? I was immune as a child, right up until adult hood, for decades, I was the "go to guy" to go pull up the poison ivy, when discovered at Camp. Yes, I'd use gloves, and yes I'd stuff them into plastic trash bags, but I never suffered so much as an itch all those years.

Then? I wasn't immune. I don't know what changed, but now, I get a 2 day rash upon exposure. Hydrocortozone cuts down the reaction, and if I know I was hit, washing with 90% alcohol, then scrubbing with concentrated Dawn dish-washing liquid (using a brush), then alcohol, then re-scrub about 5 cycles? I have no reaction at all, apart from the initial tingling.

If I miss a spot in washing, though, I'm in for a 2 day rash which seems to dry up with treatment.

Oddly enough? My hands seem entirely immune... and I have accidentally transferred exposure from one spot to another, with my fingers-- who act like Typhoid Mary. I expect it's the thickness of the skin that matters. Perhaps only skin with hairs (and their vulnerable pores) are subject to the effect? Don't know-- not going to experiment, either.

I now am quite certain where the ivy is growing, and I'm very careful along that area-- I'm currently working on a project to get my walk-behind string trimmer up and running again (new-used Kohler engine) and I'll avoid going close in the future.

It is a plant with a lot of morphological plasticity. I have seen it as a low growth of individual plants, bushy, almost shrub-like and as vines growing up trees.

Here in Missouri, we have predominantly poison ivy, with a few, small, isolated populations of poison oak in few extreme southern counties.

Ironically, it is a beneficial plant for wildlife.

I have known many people that have had a reverse of sensitivity with aging and maturity. Some have had it go the other way as they got older and became less sensitive and immune. You may have a point about the thickness of the skin. I have not read anything on that, but it does sort of make some sense.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I have found that washing in hot water eliminates the stuff, no problem. I do not know about leaving it longer than, 'I'm finished mowing, remove clothing in the laundry room (turn inside out) and toss in washer'.

I know it can rub off onto bed sheets from your skin, but that only lasts about a day.... I know from direct experience. So I really have a problem with the 18 months figure-- I wonder where that came from.

In my experience, the active ingredient dries out within 24-48 hours, even if on clothing.

I know of accounts where people have gotten it off unwashed clothing or cloth over a year after it was first exposed. My rule is wash up everything after. Just in case.

I am pretty sure I read that in a Missouri Conservationist magazine. They are usually a pretty reliable source for that sort of information.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

Burning poison ivy is quite dangerous.
A susceptible person getting a lungful of the smoke would be in a very bad way.

I know of a couple of people that had to be hospitalized from that very thing. Fortunately, they received treatment quickly and recovered.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

Burning poison ivy is quite dangerous.
A susceptible person getting a lungful of the smoke would be in a very bad way.

I've been around burning it out at the roots, and since I'm already allergic to any sort of smoke, I was very careful which way the wind was blowing. But nobody involved had any issue(s).

I suppose it could be because they were only burning the roots, letting the vines die on the tree naturally. Didn't want to pull it down while green, was the idea. Didn't want a lot of brush to have to toss, if it was pulled up.

Burning the roots killed the whole vine, letting it dry out seemed to make the chemical inert. Of course, we didn't return for several months, and after several rains. Could be the rain washed the dead vines to inertness?

Or it could have been that this was a long time back, when I was still immune... no way to know, now.

I'm unlikely to try burning on my property, as the ivy is intermingled with honeysuckle, which I'd want to keep-- another reason why I've not put anything on the ivy.

About the only way I could proceed, would be to hand-pull the ivy, which I'm unwilling to risk, as I'm now susceptible to the oils. I suppose I could buy a EcoSuit and some long sleeve gloves...

But in truth? I know it's there. I don't have outdoor animals. I can just avoid it-- and it IS a nasty surprise for anyone trying to climb over my back fence.

I rather like that idea.... a slow "burn" if you will, for trespassers.

Bonus points: I don't have any paperwork to fill out, if someone does get hit by it-- the only way they can? Would be by trespassing. (in contrast to other, more permanent methods of dealing with intruders...)

 

[Revoltingest]

I've been around burning it out at the roots, and since I'm already allergic to any sort of smoke, I was very careful which way the wind was blowing. But nobody involved had any issue(s).

I suppose it could be because they were only burning the roots, letting the vines die on the tree naturally. Didn't want to pull it down while green, was the idea. Didn't want a lot of brush to have to toss, if it was pulled up.

Burning the roots killed the whole vine, letting it dry out seemed to make the chemical inert. Of course, we didn't return for several months, and after several rains. Could be the rain washed the dead vines to inertness?

Or it could have been that this was a long time back, when I was still immune... no way to know, now.

I'm unlikely to try burning on my property, as the ivy is intermingled with honeysuckle, which I'd want to keep-- another reason why I've not put anything on the ivy.

About the only way I could proceed, would be to hand-pull the ivy, which I'm unwilling to risk, as I'm now susceptible to the oils. I suppose I could buy a EcoSuit and some long sleeve gloves...

But in truth? I know it's there. I don't have outdoor animals. I can just avoid it-- and it IS a nasty surprise for anyone trying to climb over my back fence.

I rather like that idea.... a slow "burn" if you will, for trespassers.

Bonus points: I don't have any paperwork to fill out, if someone does get hit by it-- the only way they can? Would be by trespassing. (in contrast to other, more permanent methods of dealing with intruders...)

I wipe out honeysuckle too.

 

[Bob the Unbeliever]

I wipe out honeysuckle too.

But I like it. A lot.

 

[Revoltingest]

But I like it. A lot.

I won't wipe out yours.
But if you have garlic mustard, I'll kill it.

 

[wandering peacefully]

In the news...
Back to the wild: how 'ungardening' took root in America
Washington (AFP) - Retired union organizer Anna Burger lives by a busy road just a minute's walk from a metro station in the US capital Washington, but every morning she wakes up to a birdsong symphony.

Butterflies, squirrels and even the occasional deer also come to visit the tree-covered property that she has cultivated with a focus on native species that provide nesting space and nourishment for the local wildlife.

Well-manicured grass lawns have long been associated with the American Dream, but a growing "rewilding" movement now seeks to reclaim yard space for nature.

"We knew that putting chemicals on grass to try to keep it green seemed to be a futile process that wasn't good for kids playing or for the environment," Burger told AFP.

She and her husband bought the house in 1990 and "we've tried to make it friendly, making sure that we have water sources, making sure that there are food sources so these trees aren't the most colorful but have great berries."

The couple's home is surrounded by several houses whose occupants take a more traditional approach toward their green space, but a stroll through the leafy Takoma Park neighborhood reveals many more where "ungardening" has taken root.

Precise definitions of what this means vary, but the concept of meddling less and celebrating nature more was notably popularized in 1993 book "Noah's Garden" by Sara Stein, a Bible for the movement.

- 'My energy space' -

A few blocks away from Burger's house, Jim Nichols, a nurse consultant and massage therapist, shows off the "Certified Wildlife Habitat" sign he acquired from a local non-profit group after meeting requirements like feeding, nesting space and water supply.

Nichols also eschews the use of pesticides in his yard, explaining: "We have a lot of insects and I try to work with the insects," adding that he is particularly proud of the honey bees that come to water.

"It's my energy space. It's where I get energy and feed off the energy from my garden," he added.

I'm late to the conversation, but I am happy to read this. I am very much opposed to "green golf course lawns and non-native plants and trees groomed by "the lawn guy" most rich places have. Granted it is gorgeous and lovely to look at, but requires many chemicals to keep it that way. Many insects are being effected by them.

I live on a lake and have brought up the issue several times at planning board meetings that maybe we should at least abolish chemical applications beside the lake. I think it is gaining ground and state wide we may already be gaining ground (ha).

I have just this year decided I am staying here and have worked hard to put in two large gardens with all native plants. My most favorite being the milkweed because I had made up my mind last year I want to help raise Monarchs. It has been exciting because although I only had two surviving transplants, one of them actually had one Monarch caterpillar! I bought it in the house two days ago to protect it and it molted this morning and is forming it's chrysalis as we speak.

I also have just crab grass on sand for my lawn. Wonderful stuff. It covers the ground and never grows tall. Mowing once every three weeks is plenty if even that.

 

[Revoltingest]

I'm late to the conversation, but I am happy to read this. I am very much opposed to "green golf course lawns and non-native plants and trees groomed by "the lawn guy" most rich places have. Granted it is gorgeous and lovely to look at, but requires many chemicals to keep it that way. Many insects are being effected by them.

I live on a lake and have brought up the issue several times at planning board meetings that maybe we should at least abolish chemical applications beside the lake. I think it is gaining ground and state wide we may already be gaining ground (ha).

I have just this year decided I am staying here and have worked hard to put in two large gardens with all native plants. My most favorite being the milkweed because I had made up my mind last year I want to help raise Monarchs. It has been exciting because although I only had two surviving transplants, one of them actually had one Monarch caterpillar! I bought it in the house two days ago to protect it and it molted this morning and is forming it's chrysalis as we speak.

I also have just crab grass on sand for my lawn. Wonderful stuff. It covers the ground and never grows tall. Mowing once every three weeks is plenty if even that.

My only problem with infrequent mowing is that some weeds,
eg, chickoree, get so tall that the mower just knocks'm over.
This requires repeated passes sometimes.

 

[wandering peacefully]

My only problem with infrequent mowing is that some weeds,
eg, chickoree, get so tall that the mower just knocks'm over.
This requires repeated passes sometimes.

Well yes, I have a weed field across the street so I know what you mean. They can get ahead of you. I'm hoping to grow a ton of milkweed over there over the next couple years....Happy gardening.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I stopped watching for poison ivy and oak once I realized I don't have an allergic reaction to them, and I've forgotten what they look like.

 

[Revoltingest]

Well yes, I have a weed field across the street so I know what you mean. They can get ahead of you. I'm hoping to grow a ton of milkweed over there over the next couple years....Happy gardening.

I encourage milkweed wherever it's no problem.
Butterflies, ya know.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Oh, yeah, and y'all are a bunch of plant hating plantists!

 

[Melissa Alan]

Cities have less and less space for parks and squares. Everything is being built up. But I love it when there are small lawns or trees near my home, restaurants or offices.

 

[sooda]

I'm late to the conversation, but I am happy to read this. I am very much opposed to "green golf course lawns and non-native plants and trees groomed by "the lawn guy" most rich places have. Granted it is gorgeous and lovely to look at, but requires many chemicals to keep it that way. Many insects are being effected by them.

I live on a lake and have brought up the issue several times at planning board meetings that maybe we should at least abolish chemical applications beside the lake. I think it is gaining ground and state wide we may already be gaining ground (ha).

I have just this year decided I am staying here and have worked hard to put in two large gardens with all native plants. My most favorite being the milkweed because I had made up my mind last year I want to help raise Monarchs. It has been exciting because although I only had two surviving transplants, one of them actually had one Monarch caterpillar! I bought it in the house two days ago to protect it and it molted this morning and is forming it's chrysalis as we speak.

I also have just crab grass on sand for my lawn. Wonderful stuff. It covers the ground and never grows tall. Mowing once every three weeks is plenty if even that.

Look up seed bombs….. Its a wild flower thing.

 

[Thief]

I lived with my grand parents when I was soooooooooooooo much younger

seven miles out of town and three acres of land behind the house
and the land was fallow

prairie grass......the REAL thing
three acres of it

my playground

but hey ...prairie grass is tough stuff
thistle and thorns
spikey little things everywhere
and that black thorn tree was fearsome

 

[Thief]

But I like it. A lot.

so do the humming birds

 

[Thief]

a gardener friend of mine came around to visit
he said.....you don't have a lawn
you have a yard