One of the benefits of a mild start to our winter is the extended opportunity to bundle up and go to work outside. You may be noticing the messy, jumbled, twisted shapes of shrubs and vines you want to get rid of. I say go for it!
One vine that can be particularly pesky and hard to identify is poison ivy, which is still active with the irritating oil called urushiol (pronounced ur-u-shee-ol), present in the stems and roots in the winter.
This time of year, poison ivy vines will often appear hairy and have rigid branching. Other prominent characteristics include the white berries which appear like small white grape clusters. Birds consume poison ivy berries as a food source throughout the winter so you may see berries slowly disappearing, but in early winter they are still quite noticeable.
If you want to clear poison ivy, wear proper clothing, dispose of the plant materials safely (do not burn!), and wash all clothing, equipment and yourself when finished. When it comes to disposal, there are two methods which I prefer: either carefully fill garbage bags and send them off to the dump, or if the plant material is too large or cumbersome to consider bagging, pile it in a clearly marked area and let it rot. Some websites and forums discuss composting techniques but if not done correctly, this can result in further spread of the oils. You should not mingle poison ivy with municipal leaf and yard waste composting piles.
Poison ivy has been on the rise along with the carbon in our atmosphere. It is a vine that responds quite happily to higher CO2 levels. This might be a real problem for you, especially if you have children and pets playing outdoors. The internet will give you a dozen ways to ‘treat’ this poisonous plant and a dozen more reasons to fear it. I encourage you to do plenty of research, always with a grain of salt, and please be wise about chemical usage if that is the method you chose.
I hope you all have enjoyed our first snow! Happy New Year!
Calie Ramisch, Landscape Gardener and Volunteer Coordinator
Fort Williams Park Foundation calie.ramisch@fortwilliams.org