Will Poison Ivy Hurt Tomato Plants?

Tomatoes

• Tomatoes are the most common garden vegetable, and hundreds of varieties are planted each year in backyards across the country. If set properly in well-tilled soil and carefully maintained, it is unlikely that your crop will encounter the scourge of the woods: poison ivy.

Poison Ivy

• Poison ivy, or toxicodendron radicans, is a shiny-leafed invasive plant that grows on a woody vine. It is common throughout much of the United States and thrives along forest paths, at the edges of woods and yards and along roadsides. Its root system is fibrous, and stems from the mother plant can quickly root farther into soil and expand its growth.

Bad for Your Plants

• Like any weed, poison ivy competes with garden tomatoes for soil nutrients and moisture. The root system of the poison ivy is hardy and invasive and can easily strangle a tomato's root system and kills the plants.

Bad for You

• Anything and anyone that comes in contact with the sap from poison ivy can carry it beyond your garden. Although it's unlikely your tomatoes will bear fruit if competing with poison ivy, those that do survive will be exposed to the toxins of the ivy. Some people suffer little ill effects from poison ivy, while many exhibit a range of symptoms from mild to severe. In rare cases, a person's breathing can be affected, and he may require immediate medical attention.

Removing It

• There are a range of products that do an effective job of eliminating poison ivy, but you probably wouldn't want those chemical toxins near your tomatoes. Instead, you can use the age-old method of weed removal: pulling it out by its root. Just be careful. Everything you wear while pulling poison ivy will be exposed to the urushiol and can cause a reaction. Wash any tools, gloves and clothing after you've completed your task. And beware, it's unlikely you'll succeed in eradicating the weed on your first go-round.

Caution

• Never burn poison ivy. While you may indeed kill the plant, you will also release its toxins into the air and into your lungs.