Virginia Creeper Sensitivity
Phaedrine Stonebridge
While virtually everything says that Virginia Creeper does not cause
skin irritations, my husband is EXTREMELY allergic to it. Yes it really
is Virginia Creeper and not poison ivy, oak or sumac. It is easy to
identify with its five (not three) leaves.
Since everything printed says that it does not cause skin problems, we
cannot find how to treat it. He gets a rash similar to poison ivy but
no blisters. It itches like crazy and lasts for 3-4 weeks. Does anyone
know have any ideas how to treat it?
We have it growing here and there all over the yard (new house) and I am
trying to get rid of it but I do not know what kills it. Does anyone
know?
maison.mousse
Phaedrine Stonebridge a écrit dans le message ...
Posionous
Parthenocissus quiquefolia, Virginia creeper, Boston Ivy, all parts.
Contains oxalates: The juice or sap of these plants contains microscopic
oxalate crystals. Oxalate crystals are shaped like tiny needles.
For more information, call the Illinois Poison Center at 1-800-942-5969.
Avoid websites by self declared experts with no training and you
will have more luck. You should have a poison control center
near you listed in the front of your phone book. They can provide
you with more detail.
Phaedrine Stonebridge
"maison.mousse" <maison...@wanadoo.fr> wrote:
Thanks for the response.. I was mainly looking at allegedly expert
websites, btw, like university horticultural schools. If you have a
better URL, i'd love to have it. Virtually all said V. Creeper is not a
problem (hah) but that it is poinsonous if ingested by birds. Well my
husband was not eating them lol. Just on touch and he is miserable for
a few weeks. I wonder what other plants have oxalate crystals--- maybe
he should avoid those too.
Tsu Dho Nimh
>While virtually everything says that Virginia Creeper does not cause
>skin irritations, my husband is EXTREMELY allergic to it.
Anyone can be allergic to a given plant.
>Yes it really
>is Virginia Creeper and not poison ivy, oak or sumac. It is easy to
>identify with its five (not three) leaves.
>Since everything printed says that it does not cause skin problems, we
>cannot find how to treat it.
PREVENT! Avoid the plant!
>He gets a rash similar to poison ivy but
>no blisters. It itches like crazy and lasts for 3-4 weeks. Does anyone
>know have any ideas how to treat it?
Like any other contact allergy:use OTC anti-itch creams and
cortisone ointment if you accidentally contact it.
>We have it growing here and there all over the yard (new house) and I am
>trying to get rid of it but I do not know what kills it. Does anyone
>know?
Roundup, sprayed on the leaves when the plant is actively
growing, to kill the roots. Mask off any other plants with
newspaper to avoid killing them with the overspray, and follow
label directions.
Buying a pint of concentrate is cheaper than buying the ready
to use stuff.
Tsu Dho Nimh
--
This message has been modified from its original version.
It has been formatted to fit your brain.
Tsu Dho Nimh
>Thanks for the response.. I was mainly looking at allegedly expert
>websites, btw, like university horticultural schools. If you have a
>better URL, i'd love to have it. Virtually all said V. Creeper is not a
>problem (hah) but that it is poinsonous if ingested by birds. Well my
>husband was not eating them lol.
It is not a problem for most people, unlike poison ivy that is
a problem for almost everyone, or poison oak and sumac that is a
problem for about 1/2 the population. YOur hubby is in the
unfortunate minority.
>Just on touch and he is miserable for
>a few weeks. I wonder what other plants have oxalate crystals--- maybe
>he should avoid those too.
Rhubarb leaves, although I would suspect it's something else in
the sap he's allergic to.
Phaedrine Stonebridge
Tsu Dho Nimh <aba...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Phaedrine Stonebridge <phaedrine_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> >Thanks for the response.. I was mainly looking at allegedly expert
> >websites, btw, like university horticultural schools. If you have a
> >better URL, i'd love to have it. Virtually all said V. Creeper is not a
> >problem (hah) but that it is poinsonous if ingested by birds. Well my
> >husband was not eating them lol.
>
> It is not a problem for most people, unlike poison ivy that is
> a problem for almost everyone, or poison oak and sumac that is a
> problem for about 1/2 the population. YOur hubby is in the
> unfortunate minority.
>
> >Just on touch and he is miserable for
> >a few weeks. I wonder what other plants have oxalate crystals--- maybe
> >he should avoid those too.
>
> Rhubarb leaves, although I would suspect it's something else in
> the sap he's allergic to.
Well he eats that all the time with no problem so I am betting you are
right.
Phaedrine Stonebridge
Tsu Dho Nimh <aba...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Phaedrine Stonebridge <phaedrine_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >Yes it really is Virginia Creeper and not poison ivy, oak or sumac.
> >It is easy to identify with its five (not three) leaves.
>
> >Since everything printed says that it does not cause skin problems,
> >we cannot find how to treat it.
>
> PREVENT! Avoid the plant!
Thanks for responding. :) Yes, he avoids it AMAP but sometimes comes on
it by accident.
> >We have it growing here and there all over the yard (new house) and
> >I am trying to get rid of it but I do not know what kills it. Does
> >anyone know?
> Roundup, sprayed on the leaves when the plant is actively growing,
> to kill the roots. Mask off any other plants with newspaper to
> avoid killing them with the overspray, and follow label directions.
> Buying a pint of concentrate is cheaper than buying the ready to
> use stuff.
I will try roundup and be very careful. I have some concentrate too
though we rarely use it but, in this case, I think it is warranted.
maison.mousse
This might inform you a little!
Poisonous Plants in Vermont
By Leonard P. Perry, Extension Professor
"Many native and exotic plants in our environment may cause either mild
irritation or serious sickness when touched or eaten. The word "poison" may
excite unnecessary fear. Poisonous plants include some that cause only mild
irritation as well as those that are highly toxic. To say that a plant is
poisonous does not imply that all parts of the plant are poisonous, nor does
it imply that it is poisonous for all people. For example, the rhubarb plant
has both edible parts (leaf stems) and poisonous parts (leaf
blades).Reactions to poisonous plants maybe caused by contact, or by eating
the
toxic parts of these plants. Some people are more sensitive than others to
poisonous plants."
The best way to find informations on plants is to (other than the library)
use a search programme such as http://www.altavista.com/ it is best to
type in
the latin name and then the feature of interest. Parthenocissus
quiquefolia toxicity or Parthenocissus quiquefolia chemistry ect. If you do
not known the latin name just type in the common name.
There is a clinical difference between an allergenic reaction and a mild
case of poisoning. So that a plant that is not considered allergenic may in
sensitive people
cause a rash due to a toxin in a plant. Childern are generally more
sensitive to toxins such as oxalates than adults.
Many plants are fairly rare and human contact with them has been limited.
Many other plants are only found in the wild and were of concern only to
farmers,hunters and such. Starting around from the late 1960's with the
back to nature
movement and the cult religion of herbalism, many more people became
exposed to wild plants and to some of the rarer ones. Because of that there
is not one good source for
information. Veterinary sites are a good source of information on toxicity
of wild plants and poison control centers who have had to deal with the
after effects of advice given on sites pushing herbalism is an other good
source of information. Just search for "poison control centers" and you
should get many links.
Tsu Dho Nimh
>I will try roundup and be very careful. I have some concentrate too
>though we rarely use it but, in this case, I think it is warranted.
Just make the proper dilutions, and mask off the plants you
don't want to kill and it's a very safe herbicide. It decomposes
quickly when it hits the ground, so there is not a residue
buildup.
One trick with a stubborn plant is to spray the whole thing -
hitting as many leaves as possible, wait a couple of days for the
roundup to absorb, then cut it off at the ground. Do a weekly
patrol and spray any new leaves as they appear. Never let the
plant recover much foliage.
Sandra P. Hoffman
wrote:
>
> One trick with a stubborn plant is to spray the whole thing -
>hitting as many leaves as possible, wait a couple of days for the
>roundup to absorb, then cut it off at the ground. Do a weekly
>patrol and spray any new leaves as they appear. Never let the
>plant recover much foliage.
If you are going to do it that way, and if you are saying that roundup
is only that effective, vinegar will work as well as roundup. If you
can get the stronger vinegar it will work better. Otherwise, put plain
white vinegar in a spray bottle, and on a sunny day, spray all the
foliage thouroughly. Repeat every few days till the plant disapears.
For the poison ivy in my backyard it may take two or three sprayings.
(It comes back because it's roots are under a thick hedge where I
can't get to them.)
As Virginia creeper is not generally a problem for most people, I
would have the non-allergic member of the family root out as much as
possible, and either send it to off site composting, if that is
available, or bag and throw it out with the garbage. I understand
virginia creeper is persistent, so keep the vinegar handy, and spray
any new young growth as it comes up.
If you are persistent it should only take one or two seasons to
completely eliminate it, but by grubbing out as much root as possible
you will get better control faster.
sph
The voices of the cicadas
Penetrate the rocks. -- Basho
Sandra Hoffman he...@magma.ca
Tsu Dho Nimh
>On Sun, 21 Jul 2002 05:12:20 -0700, Tsu Dho Nimh <aba...@hotmail.com>
>wrote:
>> One trick with a stubborn plant is to spray the whole thing -
>>hitting as many leaves as possible, wait a couple of days for the
>>roundup to absorb, then cut it off at the ground. Do a weekly
>>patrol and spray any new leaves as they appear. Never let the
>>plant recover much foliage.
>
>If you are going to do it that way, and if you are saying that roundup
>is only that effective, vinegar will work as well as roundup.
If you spray Roundup FIRST, then whack back the pestiferous
plant, you seldom have to repeat the application.
Roundup works best if you water the plants well, get them growing
vigorously, then spray. It "translocates" to the roots, and
kills the roots, therefore killing the plant. If the root to
foliage ratio is large, as happens with a plant that has been
severely pruned, you don't get all the roots the first time
because there aren't enough leaves to put the spray on. If the
plant is barely metabolizing, as happens if it is water stressed,
you don't get as much translocation and it's not as effective as
it could be.
I've never had much luck with the vinegar method.
Phaedrine Stonebridge
Tsu Dho Nimh <aba...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Phaedrine Stonebridge <phaedrine_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> >I will try roundup and be very careful. I have some concentrate too
> >though we rarely use it but, in this case, I think it is warranted.
>
> Just make the proper dilutions, and mask off the plants you
> don't want to kill and it's a very safe herbicide. It decomposes
> quickly when it hits the ground, so there is not a residue
> buildup.
>
> One trick with a stubborn plant is to spray the whole thing -
> hitting as many leaves as possible, wait a couple of days for the
> roundup to absorb, then cut it off at the ground. Do a weekly
> patrol and spray any new leaves as they appear. Never let the
> plant recover much foliage.
Great advice; Thanks again! :)
Phaedrine Stonebridge
he...@istop.com (Sandra P. Hoffman) wrote:
Thanks for the response. I will try the vinegar as well :)
Phaedrine Stonebridge
"maison.mousse" <maison...@wanadoo.fr> wrote:
Thanks for th article but it does not specifically address virginia
creeper (parthenocissus quinquefolia).
cy...@tiny.net.invalid
wrote:
>he...@istop.com (Sandra P. Hoffman) wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 21 Jul 2002 05:12:20 -0700, Tsu Dho Nimh <aba...@hotmail.com>
>>wrote:
>>> One trick with a stubborn plant is to spray the whole thing -
>>>hitting as many leaves as possible, wait a couple of days for the
>>>roundup to absorb, then cut it off at the ground. Do a weekly
>>>patrol and spray any new leaves as they appear. Never let the
>>>plant recover much foliage.
>>
>>If you are going to do it that way, and if you are saying that roundup
>>is only that effective, vinegar will work as well as roundup.
>
>
>If you spray Roundup FIRST, then whack back the pestiferous
>plant, you seldom have to repeat the application.
>
>Roundup works best if you water the plants well, get them growing
>vigorously, then spray. It "translocates" to the roots, and
>kills the roots, therefore killing the plant. If the root to
>foliage ratio is large, as happens with a plant that has been
>severely pruned, you don't get all the roots the first time
>because there aren't enough leaves to put the spray on. If the
>plant is barely metabolizing, as happens if it is water stressed,
>you don't get as much translocation and it's not as effective as
>it could be.
>
>I've never had much luck with the vinegar method.
Also be sure it's fairly early in the day and a bright day with not
very much, if any, wind, and let the plants absorb it for a couple of
days. They should be very wilted and dead looking by then. If they
aren't, water them one night and do the Roundup again the next day.
I've rarely needed the second, even for the trumpet vine that eats
houses and the species daylillies.
--
rbc: vixen Fairly harmless
remove invalid or hit reply to email.
Though I'm very slow to respond.
http://www.visi.com/~cyli
Phaedrine Stonebridge
cy...@tiny.net.invalid wrote:
Thanks for responding. I will heed your cautions. :)
