Apologies if this is the wrong forum: My hives are in a locust grove which has always had "some" poison ivy which I controlled by cutting. This year, perhaps due to the weather, (we're blaming it for everything else around here) the ivy is running rampant. Googled for a non chemical treatment and came up with two which seem promising. Cup of salt, Tbsp. of dish soap in a gallon of water, or just straight white vinegar sprayed on. Requires repeat treatments which isn't a problem. This info was from a "non bee" site and wonder if there's anything there that would be harmful to the girls? I don't believe bees spend a lot of time on the ground around the hives which would be where I'd be spraying.
Thoughts, opinions or alternatives would be appreciated.
A local radio garden expert, who hates chemicals, told me to fence an infested area and put in goats. Evidently goats can actually eat the stuff with no harm.
Deer can eat it too, but if you had enough deer you would not have the problem.
My inlaws used goats to clear undergrowth, then wondered what to do with the goats. Turns out there's a market in Miami ... Cubans think they are delicious.
I have heard this but been unable to find a source for it. I increase the acidity of 'shelf' vinegar by putting it in the freezer and when it's partially frozen remove/discard the ice. In addition to weed and grass control it's a handy solvent to have around.
Garlon 4 Ultra or Remedy. Drop or two of it mixed with 80% vegetable oil on the main stem - dead poison ivy. Know you are looking at a non-chemical methods but I have no knowledge of those methods.
But Phoebee is right goats will fix it and have decent resell value within the Hispanic communities.
Apologies if this is the wrong forum: My hives are in a locust grove which has always had "some" poison ivy which I controlled by cutting. This year, perhaps due to the weather, (we're blaming it for everything else around here) the ivy is running rampant. Googled for a non chemical treatment and came up with two which seem promising. Cup of salt, Tbsp. of dish soap in a gallon of water, or just straight white vinegar sprayed on. Requires repeat treatments which isn't a problem. This info was from a "non bee" site and wonder if there's anything there that would be harmful to the girls? I don't believe bees spend a lot of time on the ground around the hives which would be where I'd be spraying.
Thoughts, opinions or alternatives would be appreciated.
You mean to say that none of that stuff is a chemical? Just go out and buy you some brush killer but be very selective of what you put it on. :thumbsup:
Being an organic gardener (and one time organic farmer) I can attest to the efficiency of goats as a Poison Ivy control. Unfortunately, my lesson regarding this was not on my land and they were not my goats that I was tending and the truly awesome (not a word I use lightly) stand of Poison Ivy was behind a barn and out of sight. Combine this with a small herd of super-affectionate goats whose only pleasure in life seemed to be being fed and being petted and rubbing up against me when I went into the barn yard and the results should have been obvious had I looked around the back of the barn.
Results: the second worst case of poison ivy I ever had, multiple doctor visits, cortisone shots (as I recall) followed by an ill-fated attempt at immunization and being revived on the doctor's waiting room floor.
Never used vinegar but the horticultural (or agricultural) vinegar is commonly 20% (up to 30%) and is readily available, even on Amazon, I would definitely try that before sending the more efficient (and affectionate) goats out to gobble it up.
I have pygmy goats and can attest to them loving poison ivy. It is cleared as far up the trees as they can reach. But I wouldn't buy them just to perform this one task. They have to
be fed through the winter and managed as any animal. So unless you are a fan or plan on going into the goat business, find another method of control.
I do not know if the white vinegar, salt and a drop of Dawn dishwashing detergent would work on poison ivy or not. Mix up a small batch and spray it on the leaves and see
what happens.
I have pygmy goats and can attest to them loving poison ivy. It is cleared as far up the trees as they can reach. But I wouldn't buy them just to perform this one task. They have to
be fed through the winter and managed as any animal. So unless you are a fan or plan on going into the goat business, find another method of control.
I do not know if the white vinegar, salt and a drop of Dawn dishwashing detergent would work on poison ivy or not. Mix up a small batch and spray it on the leaves and see
what happens.
...But I wouldn't buy them just to perform this one task. They have to
be fed through the winter and managed as any animal. So unless you are a fan or plan on going into the goat business, find another method of control.
I know you said no chemical but what if it was not airborn at all? I had a really bad vine problem so I took a bunch of soda bottles and filled them with brush be gone. cut the end of the vine and put it in the bottle zip tied it so it didn't come out. stood it up and let it drink away. you can do that with the end of the poison ivy. it will take it up through its phloem......or is it zylem.....anyway give it some time and it will get the root of it as well as being contained and unaccessable to the bees. plus its systemic so won't leave any in soil
Wow! Thanks for all the responses! OK, not gonna get goats, I live on a farm but have had enough of tending livestock now I'm retired. We're overrun with deer, but why should they eat poison ivy when they have gardens, crops, and my wife's flowers to munch on?
Freezing vinegar to remove water has merit. I seem to recall reading that during the Alaskan Goldrush, the "sourdoughs" used to gauge the potency of their whisky by shaking the bottle next morning to see how many ice crystals had formed. Hmmm, just looked at a bottle of white vinegar and it says, "reduced with water to 5% acidity." So, that would mean four gallons would have to be frozen, ice removed and then combined with another gallon to arrive at 25% (Ag strength). Lots of freezer time IF there's room in the big freezer? I guess Amazon, etc. Agricultural vinegar would be of interest.
Probably going to try the two ideas I mentioned initially and see which works best or at all. Buying 20%+ vinegar will be a "fall back," position.
On a side note, fed one weak hive yesterday, never thought I'd be doing that in August, but it's been a crazy year weather wise.
Freezing vinegar to remove water has merit. I seem to recall reading that during the Alaskan Goldrush, the "sourdoughs" used to gauge the potency of their whisky by shaking the bottle next morning to see how many ice crystals had formed. Hmmm, just looked at a bottle of white vinegar and it says, "reduced with water to 5% acidity." So, that would mean four gallons would have to be frozen, ice removed and then combined with another gallon to arrive at 25% (Ag strength). Lots of freezer time IF there's room in the big freezer? I guess Amazon, etc. Agricultural vinegar would be of interest.
I really don't think that you are going to be able to concentrate acetic acid by freezing vinegar. Theoretically it may be possible, but you are trying to recover 5% of the fluid and freezing is a horribly inefficient process. Distillation would work much better.
But why bother? You can get a quart of glacial acetic acid (99%+ pure) on line for about $10. Just make sure you use gloves, face mask, and safety glasses when you dilute it. Also, always add acid to water to dilute it (never the reverse). If that is too strong for your comfort zone, you can buy 20% to 25% acetic acid readily online
Sell goats to Cubans and Hispanics? Um white folk eat goats too. And so do most cultures its the most eaten meat in the world and they are delicious. FWI If you get a goat to clean it up get 2 or 3 you will never keep just one in a fence
Yup, it is popular in most parts of the world, but for some reason has not been on the menu much in the US, except among recent immigrants who have retained their taste for it. No disrespect intended, just a market option for surplus goats.
As marshmasterpat said, a good product with triclopyr in it will kill the poison simply by spraying a bit, and I mean from a small spray bottle, onto the base of the main stem. No need to have a big sprayer and you don't have to spray the leaves so no worrying about overspray. You get down at the bottom and spritz a bit on the stem and done. I offed a poison ivy that had gone from the base of the corner of a large tobacco barn to the entire way to spouting, had to be 3" in diameter. The owner of the farm said they'd tried everything on it at one time or another...guess they hadn't tried triclopyr (I was using Pathfinder II). I bought the product because I needed to kill all the baby trees that keep coming up in our meadow without killing the flowers surrounding them. I know, "chemicals", but the vinegar is a chemical too. Just because you have a diluted version of it in your kitchen doesn't mean it's not.
Pretty much you can kill anything with plastic that is black. It doesn't allow the sun to penetrate and cooks anything that grows. Just saying what you can do here in Texas.
Maybe someone should start a business (you?) renting out goats to clear brush and poison ivy? Or you maybe find someone who already is?
The routine when I was in Oklahoma was to run goats in to clear the brush, then run donkeys in to eat the brambles, then run some hogs in to to clear all the rest of the weeds and plow up and fertilize the ground, and then plant whatever you like...
Believe it or not Amazon has goat rentals in some areas
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