Poison what? - Ask Extension
I have gotten reactions from weeding for my 5th year. It is getting annoying. Ya, sure, I know I should wear gloves, but that makes it harder to weed....
Knowledgebase
Poison what? #875194
Asked June 29, 2024, 7:51 AM EDT
I have gotten reactions from weeding for my 5th year. It is getting annoying. Ya, sure, I know I should wear gloves, but that makes it harder to weed. This year my wife also got a reaction too. We get rashes in lines, which suggests a plant. I have searched for poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac numerous times. I have had poison ivy in the past but eliminated it years ago. What I tend to pull are weeds, mostly ivies, but not poison ivy. I'm really tied of this happening every year. What the heck could it be? Are there other unsafe vines in Maryland? Are there other ways to kill them besides pulling?
Frederick County Maryland
Expert Response
While not many plants cause the typical extreme skin reactions that poison ivy does, there are multiple possibilities for what is bothering you.
First, skin sensitivities vary among people. For instance, I have no problem handling our native Virginia Creeper (a five-leaved vine : https://extension.umd.edu/resource/virginia-creeper/) or Pokeweed (: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/pokeweed/); however, it can cause a rash for some. If I reach into a juniper, a spruce tree, or some azaleas (in this case, an insect), I can feel an itchy, stinging sensation.
When I know I will be working in those areas, I wear long sleeves and gloves. I know you don't like gloves, but maybe try another type than typical 'work gloves'. There are ones that fit closer, and in the case of surgical-type gloves (if you have a latex allergy get ones that are not latex) you can feel right through them while still protecting your skin.
Also, depending on how thick with weeds were in the area, you could accidentally contact very young sprouts of poison ivy.
(Poison ivy can also grow straight up and look like tree seedlings under certain conditions.)
Here are our pages on Poison Ivy:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/poison-ivy/
and https://extension.umd.edu/resource/how-identify-poison-ivy/
Christine
First, skin sensitivities vary among people. For instance, I have no problem handling our native Virginia Creeper (a five-leaved vine : https://extension.umd.edu/resource/virginia-creeper/) or Pokeweed (: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/pokeweed/); however, it can cause a rash for some. If I reach into a juniper, a spruce tree, or some azaleas (in this case, an insect), I can feel an itchy, stinging sensation.
When I know I will be working in those areas, I wear long sleeves and gloves. I know you don't like gloves, but maybe try another type than typical 'work gloves'. There are ones that fit closer, and in the case of surgical-type gloves (if you have a latex allergy get ones that are not latex) you can feel right through them while still protecting your skin.
Also, depending on how thick with weeds were in the area, you could accidentally contact very young sprouts of poison ivy.
(Poison ivy can also grow straight up and look like tree seedlings under certain conditions.)
Here are our pages on Poison Ivy:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/poison-ivy/
and https://extension.umd.edu/resource/how-identify-poison-ivy/
Christine
