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| Itching for trouble (Summer 2005) |
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Don’t let poison ivy, oak, or sumac irritate your summer
A common danger faced by gardeners is urushiol oil, a skin irritant so powerful that a tiny drop can cause a severe rash. This oil is found in little grooves along every part of three shrubs—poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. The best way to deal with this hazard is to recognize the plants in order to avoid contact, know what to do when the oil is touched, and learn how to remove the plants safely.
You may have heard the little rhyme that goes “leaflets of three, let it be.” That warning works for two plants. Look for three groupings of three Poison Ivy leaves—a set of three leaves across from each other and just down the stem from a third set at the tip. The leaves are shaped something like elm leaves, only with smooth edges. The three-leaf clusters of Poison Oak resemble oak leaves. Poison Sumac breaks the pattern with 7 to 13 leaves running down both sides of a reddish stalk.
It’s sometimes possible to touch these plants without harm. It’s necessary to pinch or crush them to release the oil, which can also get on shoes, trouser legs, and garden gloves, and stay active for a long time. Touching the oil with bare skin can result in an itchy spot that can grow to a red rash and eventually blisters, fever, and worse. Everyone has some sensitivity, although some people are prone to serious reactions.
If you discover that you’ve touched a poisonous plant, assume that you have the oil on your skin and clothing. Remove the clothes and wash them, then wash your hands and any other areas of your body that may have contacted the plant with strong soap or a skin cleanser like Tecnu. You need something that will wash away the oil. Clean tools to remove all the oil to stop spreading the problem.
For a mild rash caused by poison ivy, oak, or sumac, you can treat it with dressings soaked in calamine lotion or bicarbonate of soda to relieve itching. The rash usually goes away in about 10 days. For more stubborn cases, oatmeal baths or dressings soaked in an astringent are recommended. For widespread rashes and fever, it may be necessary to see a physician for a stronger medication.
Search and destroy
How do you rid your property of poisonous plants? A chemical control is often recommended to help you avoid contact with the oil. Some gardeners swear by Brush-B-Gone. It works fast. Others use Roundup. Repeated sprayings may be necessary since the first one usually kills the leaves but lets the roots recover. It may be necessary to mark the spot with an irrigation flag so you can spray the area twice this year and then again next spring to kill all the roots. If you dig them out, be sure to wear rubber gloves and wash the shovel and all of your clothes.
When digging, don’t smooth your hair or scratch an itchy nose. Remember, just a billionth of a gram of urushiol oil is enough to blister your skin.
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