I need some advice on dealing with poison ivy that's growing along the fence between my yard and my neighbor's, whose home is currently vacant. I can't reach the roots on their side, so I'm considering cutting a leaf and putting the vine in vinegar to kill it. Is this a viable solution? Will the vinegar only kill the poison ivy, or could it affect other nearby plants? I really want to avoid herbicides since I have a native garden and a bird pond close by, and I don't want to harm my neighbor's beautiful garden either, which is also mixed up with the poison ivy.
1 Answer
Putting the vine in vinegar isn't going to work. Acetic acid, which is in vinegar, doesn't travel through the plant's system like you might think. So even if it dries out the exposed part, it won't have any real effect on the roots. Plus, vinegar is technically an herbicide and can be more toxic than many commercial options!
Wow, I didn't know that! A lot of natural remedies suggest mixing vinegar with soap for spraying, but sounds like that could be a bad choice environmentally. I'm glad I checked before trying it out!