Cherry Trees and poison ivy

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Got Wood

Minister of Fire
Oct 22, 2008
926
Dutchess Cty, NY
Why is it that poison ivy seems to find its way to Cherry Trees more than other tree types? (Atleast this is my impression..... I find PI vines on almost all of the Cherry trees I work on).

I cut up a Cherry a couple days ago and tried to be careful with the PI but still ended up getting a few spots that are itching me today !@#$%@!#%
 
I've noticed that too here...but then we do have a lot of cherry trees. Something that seems to help a bit is I have cut into the vines and removed a few inches of it from the tree several months before cutting the tree...seems to help dry up the vines somewhat and they are much easier to remove from the tree once the vines have died off.
 
I haven't noticed poison ivy occurring on cherry more than other trees, but I'm certainly sensitive to ivy. Got a real bad exposure about 10 years ago, and since then, I am super sensitive. I spend a lot of time in the woods at night, and I have to be very careful to avoid it! Cheers!
 
When I get exposed to it, I go right to the nearest swimming hole and dove right in. If its salt water that's even better. I keep a bar of Fels-Naptha brown soap with the hiking first aid kit, and that stuff works wonders. Something about brown soap being an emulsifier between oil and water. A good lather with that, and a final rinsing swim, and I'm good to go. I haven't had any rash in 3 or 4 years now, and that includes an afternoon last year of pulling out huge stalks by hand with no PPE.
 
Creekyphil said:
When I get exposed to it, I go right to the nearest swimming hole and dove right in. If its salt water that's even better. I keep a bar of Fels-Naptha brown soap with the hiking first aid kit, and that stuff works wonders. Something about brown soap being an emulsifier between oil and water. A good lather with that, and a final rinsing swim, and I'm good to go. I haven't had any rash in 3 or 4 years now, and that includes an afternoon last year of pulling out huge stalks by hand with no PPE.

You must not be sensitive to the oils in the ivy, or it wasn't ivy. Working with large ivy vines, with bare hands, for several hours would give anyone, with any degree of sensitivity to ivy, a sound thrashing! Cheers!
 
It was ivy, about that I have no doubt. I am allergic, or at least I was a few years ago when I discovered this remedy. When I was in college, I worked summers at a camp, and I had rashes almost constantly from May until October. I did find that over time I built up some resistance, but never full immunity.
 
I'm highly allergic and have always been so, my wife was not years ago but for some reason she is now! She use to brag about it...one day I got a good rash on my lower leg, a few days later she had contracted the rash too....not sure how that happened :)
 
Got Wood said:
Why is it that poison ivy seems to find its way to Cherry Trees more than other tree types? (Atleast this is my impression..... I find PI vines on almost all of the Cherry trees I work on).

I cut up a Cherry a couple days ago and tried to be careful with the PI but still ended up getting a few spots that are itching me today !@#$%@!#%






That sucks Got Wood, with the leaners and even some of the cherry I fell I've never noticed (yet) any PI on the cherry.



"Leaves of three, let it be."
"Hairy vine, no friend of mine."[5] Poison ivy vines are very poisonous.
"Raggy rope, don't be a dope!" Poison ivy vines on trees have a furry "raggy" appearance. This rhyme warns tree climbers to be wary. Old, mature vines on tree trunks can be quite large and long, with the recognizable leaves obscured among the higher foliage of the tree.[6]
"One, two, three? Don't touch me."
"Berries white, run in fright" and "Berries white, danger in sight."[7]
"Longer middle stem, stay away from them." This refers to the middle leaflet having a notably longer stem than the two side leaflets and is a key to differentiating it from the similar-looking Rhus aromatica - Fragrant sumac.
"Red leaflets in the spring, it's a dangerous thing." This refers to the red appearance that new leaflets sometimes have in the spring. (Note that later, in the summer, the leaflets are green, making them more difficult to distinguish from other plants, while in autumn they can be reddish-orange.)
"Side leaflets like mittens, will itch like the dickens." This refers to the appearance of some, but not all, poison ivy leaves, where each of the two side leaflets has a small notch that makes the leaflet look like a mitten with a "thumb." (Note that this rhyme should not be misinterpreted to mean that only the side leaflets will cause itching, since actually all parts of the plant can cause itching.)
"If butterflies land there, don't put your hand there." This refers to the fact that some butterflies land on poison ivy, since they are not affected, which provides them protection as their predators avoid eating the plant.[8]
"If it's got hair, it won't be fair." This refers to the hair that can be on the stem and leaves of poison ivy.


Zap
 
I'm highly allergic to PI too, but I'm constantly in the woods. I mean, it's either take the chance of getting it or stay inside and watch TV; I'll take the rash.

A few years ago I began to immediately shower with Dawn dishwashing liquid as soon as I come in from outside. This has GREATLY reduced my occurrences of PI. Naturally, if I'm in the woods/working for hours on end, I still typically get it, but an hour in the woods and the bath - I usually do not get it. When I do get it, I find it is not nearly as bad as it used to be. I attribute it to removing the oil that is present on the skin that hasn't had time to 'soak in'. Maybe I'm crazy, maybe it's the placebo effect, but I highly doubt it.

When I get it - a nice cold bag of ice on the rash removes the heat and angry weeping. Ahhhhhh.
 
agreed tecnu works.


I dont have a problem with PI but the wife does. after tecnu no prob.. you have to be on it though.
 

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This is amazing!

You fellows may have a problem with the ivy on your cherry trees but around here I have never found ivy on cherry! Here the poison ivy likes elm, ash, white oak and a few others.
 
Dont know if this has been mentioned - but dont ever burn PI brush,vines or leaves,even in a metal drum.The fumes are highly noxious & would be quite painful if you accidentally breathed it in when the wind shifted.

Reminds me of History class,remember hearing about what the Mayans in the Yucatan did to various Spanish armies in the 15th & 16th centuries. They had had large piles of native dried Habanero peppers (once considered the worlds hottest pepper,now the 'ghost' chile from India and another one which name escapes me at the moment has been tested to be #1 & #2 in Scoville units now) & would set them ablaze in advance of invading Spaniards. An early form of chemical warfare if you will. Sounds good to me. :lol:
 
Around here both Black Cherry and Poison Ivy are common along woods edges and fence rows. I don't think there is any other mysterious connection between the two. That said, the largest PI vine on my property when I moved in was on a Black Cherry.
 
Quite a few Black Cherry trees of varying sizes & a lesser amount of smaller Chokecherry at parent's acreage.Dont remember seeing any PI (or Virginia Creeper for that matter) vines on any of them.They sure seem to like some Red & Black Oaks with the occasional Shagbark Hickory though.
 
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