Home Decorating Ideas - "Poison" Plants: Take Control Before They Take Over

Although gardeners all itch to get rid of poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac and kudzu, not all know how harmful they can be to their yards, home and families.

Poison ivy, oak and sumac grow plentifully in the U.S. More than half the population is allergic to urushiol oil-the sticky, resinlike substance found inside the plants. But it's not just the allergy to urushiol that's a problem-it's how potent it is.

• It only takes one-billionth of a gram of the oil to cause a rash.

• 500 people could itch from the amount that would fit on the head of a pin.

• Urushiol oil can stay active on any surface for up to five years, even on dead plants.

Poison ivy and kudzu can sometimes be mistaken for one another. While kudzu is not poisonous, it can be equally as frustrating. Kudzu grows in many parts of the U.S. but grows especially well in the South. The vine is so aggressive that it takes over trees, buildings, fences, telephone poles, even machinery. Additionally, kudzu kills native plants by smothering them and blocking their sunlight.

• Kudzu covers as much as 7 million acres across the U.S.

• The invasive plant spreads at a rate of 120,000 acres per year.

• One vine can grow a foot a day in the summer and up to 60 feet a season if it's not stopped.

"There's a reason kudzu is nicknamed 'the vine that ate the South,'" says Bayer Advanced™ Garden Expert Lance Walheim, co-author of "Lawn Care for Dummies." "If left unmanaged, it can take over and choke trees that have taken decades to grow."

How can you take control of kudzu and poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac, before they take over your yard? Keep your lawn and fence line clear and trimmed, and cut back the undesirable plants to ground level every time you see green growth. Bayer Advanced™ Brush Killer Plus Concentrate is a chemical alternative that kills the brush down to the roots so they won't come back. It controls kudzu as well as poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac and 67 other types of weeds and brush roots, and it starts working in just one day.

You can learn more by visiting www.bayeradvanced.com or by calling 1-877-BAYERAG. Garden Invader-One kudzu vine can grow a foot a day in the summer if not stopped.