You hoped to avoid poison ivy all summer. But in autumn, when the plant’s infamous “leaflets-three” are shriveling and its red berries whiten, it’s still not safe to touch it, hike through it bare-legged, or uproot it with bare hands, and for heaven’s sake don’t burn it. Poison ivy can affect you at any time of year, says the Missouri Botanical Garden, which provides answers online through Gardening Help and by phone through the Horticultural Answer Service (314-577-5143). The Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Information Service advises, “All parts of the poison ivy plant are toxic, and sensitive people can get the rash by handling stems even though the leaves and berries have fallen. In fact, the smoke from burning stems can cause serious lesions in the lungs. We recommend that you never work around areas known to be infested with poison ivy without adequate protective gloves and clothing.”
Only during the summer does poison ivy actually manufacture the irritant called urushiol (from the Japanese “urushi,” meaning “lacquer”). In fall, “the plant goes dormant but the oil is still there,” explains Ray Kirkman, master gardener volunteer for the Horticultural Answer Service. Oil can linger for six months on neighboring plants, and even longer on unwashed clothing, gloves, boots, garden tools, camping gear, or your pet’s fur, just waiting to react with bare skin. “Always assume you’re highly susceptible,” says Kirkman.
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Kirkman recommends, for any possibly tainted items, thorough washing with warm water and “dishwashing liquid, which breaks up oil.” Chip Tynan, the Garden’s horticultural information specialist, says, “Fels Naphtha soap, a product that’s been around a long time, is traditionally used to clean items that have been soiled by poison ivy. But now there are also poison-ivy cleaning agents you’ll find in garden centers or outdoor-outfitter businesses.”
