The Gloved Hand
Poison Ivy & Poison Oak Service Areas:
CONNECTICUT
Fairfield, New Haven & Southern Litchfield Counties
NEW YORK
Westchester, Rockland & Putnam Counties
Like the "White Glove Service" you would expect from a butler, The Gloved Hand is dedicated to meticulous, thorough, and organic poison ivy eradication. Our specialists remove poison ivy and poison oak by extracting the entire root system with hand tools.
When I visit a poison ivy patch, I often dig up some rather interesting-looking roots like the one pictured below. When poison ivy roots are cut or ripped (you can see the cut in the first of the two photos), the sources of energy that would have normally flown through the runner past the previously cut spot, bump into a dead end. This energy is collected and stored at the dead end, and fill out into a root tuber. From that tuber (also known as a rhizome), 4 or 5 roots may branch out in multiple directions, or a tap-like root may begin to grow straight down as a means to support the newly cut plant.
Poison ivy roots that are ripped or trimmed down to the ground level instead of being dug out, cause the root system to "bush out" underground. This is similar to trimming a bush for a fuller look. The poison ivy experts at The Gloved Hand do not recommend ripping, mowing, or otherwise cutting poison ivy at the ground level every year, because it can create a HUGE poison ivy root system that it more difficult to dig out.
The image above is a close up of the poison ivy root tuber. At the top left corner of this poison ivy tuber you can see the original cut that caused it to develop. The hole and tuber in this photo measured nearly two feet. In an undisturbed state, poison ivy runs approximately one inch below the earth's surface and parallel to the ground. Secondary roots that grow off the main runner are approximatley 4 to 5 inches long, and grow at an acute angle to the runner. Abberant roots, like the one pictured above, are found growing perpendicular to the earth's surface.
When our poison ivy specialists begin to chase a root that runs straight down, an 8-inch depth is adequate for digging the root out. Past 8 inches, a root often is too skinny for survival on its own — especially at such a depth.
Above image shows the same Poison Ivy Tuber.
Look closely to view how skinny the long poison ivy roots become as we explore its depth.
Pictured below is William Bartlett, The Gloved Hand's Poison Ivy Tree Specialist Eradicator. To bring down large, tree-climbing vines, William uses a come-a-long, or will climb the tree when necessary. He tackles thick (sometimes record-breaking) poison ivy vines, and has been in the poison ivy eradication business for over 40 years.
William Bartlett & Cindy Campbell show off a tree-climbing poison ivy vine detached roots.
Poison Ivy specialist, Geoff Martino, has worked with Cindy Campbell of The Gloved Hand since 2011.