GIANT poison oak + poison oak question.

[M.D. Vaden]

That's a good patch you found, because it shows both the grey and reddish stems those plants have, as well as light tan twig ends.

I remember mowing a mound of grass for a bowling alley in Beaverton, OR, for 4 years straight. On the 4th year, among the 6" tall grass, were hundreds of poison oak that germinated that winter. They were never there before. Good thing they had some leaves. The plants were only about 5" tall. I didn't realize that it could germintate in those numbers under the right conditions.

 

[windthrown]

Right conditions for germinating PO

Yah, you are right about PO germinating on different years. Last year was a big year here for PO germination. Our neighbors here with a vineyard noticed that the PO sprouting this year was way more than for other years. We noticed it around here too.

They also spread by underground root runners. Another photo that I have of the whole PO patch today that did not turn out so great (too much grass and no contrast in the photo) shows the typical distribution of plants after 2 years. A few that sprouted in the middle, and then many more around them that grew from runner roots. Maybe I will spade a few up and see if they still have the roots attached. Raining here this week so I cannot spray them yet.

 

[windthrown]

Another PO ID tip in winter

The stems on PO are usually uniform and not very tapered. So they end in a blunt, almost rounded tip rather than a point. They almost look like they have been pruned. They also have buds on the tips and a few more buds scattered around the stem. The stems can vary from red to tan to green.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

In about 8 days, I'm giving a lecture on tree pruning to the Brookings harbor Garden Club in Brookings, Oregon. And plan to go a day early to hike in the Redwoods.

If it's not raining much, I'm planning to go on the trail into the Redwoods to get a few more photos of the giant size poison-oak trunk that this thread started with. I'm planning to bring my video camera, and maybe a ruler too, to measure the stem / trunk diameter.

 

[sawyerDave]

Poison Ivy

A couple of years ago, I was plowing a waterway that had been mowed down earlier in the year. This waterway is on the edge of some woods, and had had some brush growing in it earlier(JUNE/JULY). All I know is I got the job of plowing down the center of it, and the plow kept getting jammed up with an orange colored milky root...it was SUMAC! found out the hard way! Fingers on both hands swelled up like a polish sausage. Had to take prednisone for 2 weeks. There is another natural cure that I'm aware of-surprised no one has mentioned it in this thread. Jewel weed aka native impatiens aka touch-me-not is a wild flower that grows in wet areas, flowers in mid to late summer small orange flower, when ripe if you put your warm hand against the flower, it will shoot the seed at you. You take the fleshy stems of this flower/weed and mash them up with a little stream water in a 5 gal bucket, let the whole lidded bucket set in sun for a day, then use the green, medicinal smelling brew as a lotion/salve on the P.I. It works good- my grandmother said it was an old indian cure, but I aint ever seen any old indians with P.I., so I don't know:bang:

 

[ATH]

Re: Jewel weed

Kate Butler said:
"MYTH #6: Rubbing weeds on the skin can help the rash.
FACT #6: No weed, including Jewelweed (despite folklore to the contrary) has been shown to help the eruption. However, Jewelweed may help the pruritus.68"

I have just rubbed the crushed weeds on a rash. It does have a cooling effect. Not sure it is any better than calamine, or others. Does making the concoction work better than commercial ointments?

 

[sawyerDave]

Jewel Weed potion

Sorry I must not have read Kate's post in its entirety. All I can offer is empirical evidence (it works for me on most P.I.). In my experience, the slightly fermented potion works best. You make it up in the morning, let it sit covered in sun for rest of the day, then wring the stems out good, and refrigerate the remainder. Put it on at bed time and you won't itch all night. It wont last much longer than you have P.I. (week give or take):fart: