my neighbors want to use round up to eradicate poison ivy from under a large live oak tree. I'm looking for alternatives as well as info re the herbicide round up

First off, I don't think Round Up is strong enough to eradicate poison ivy. It takes something REALLY powerful (something I SURE wouldn't want used anywhere near MY land!!!) like Brush-B-Gone to get rid of a vigorous plant like poison ivy. & then once you used it., you'd have to KEEP using it because the birds re-plant it by eating the berries it produces. PLEASE do not use Brush-B-Gone; it actually kills the SOIL to kill the plant. As for Round-Up, I also NEVER use it & don't believe its benign claims at all. The guide that took me through the El Yunque Rain Forest in Puerto Rico told me that he is in the fight of his life to keep them from using Round-Up on the vegetation that keeps choking the paths used on the lower trails by tourists. I just don't trust that stuff either. After that sermon, I blush to admit that I have no organic solution to the poison ivy problem to offer either.

Here is a link to the pesticide action network. You can find all sorts of information there. Keep in mind that information on so called inert ingredients are never disclosed by the chemical companies, so we never really get the real story of the possible dangers.



http://www.igc.org/panna/

You'll also find some research we have gathered about the dangers of Round-Up here at OrganicGardening.com:

http://www.organicgardening.com/watchdog/pesticides_roundup.html

As for poison ivy, I don't believe that even Monsanto would claim that Round Up works on it, nor does any other herbicide. Persistently digging it up is about the only method I've ever heard that works.

Good luck.

Hi Tally, try NCAP. they are a great info source. Their web site is www.pesticide.org Their full name is the Northwest Coalition For Alternatives To Pesticides.Hope this helps,
Holly