Ditch the Itch with Austin Douglas: The Dangers of Poison Ivy plants You Aren't Aware of That Could Harm You and Those Around you. Take Advantage of Poison Ivy Academy's Education Program, Enroll Now!
There are some plants that you shouldn't let grow in your backyard. It might have surprised you to learn that some of these are poisonous. You, as a landscaper, could also be at risk if you don't know which plants could pose a health threat. The first thing you should do is familiarize yourself with these poisonous plants, so you do not end up getting hospitalized because you do not know what they are.
Join us today as the ditch the itch man himself explains why it's so important to know what kind of plant to stay away from. If you are passionate about killing poisonous plants, you might be interested in becoming an arborist. Austin will tell you how.
Born and raised in Michigan, Austin Douglas has a wide range of interests. Working in greenhouses and nurseries in Michigan for over 15 years gives him extensive experience in the greenhouse and nursery industry. His specialty is noxious plants and he has been practicing for 6 years. It was for this reason that he created Ditch The Itch LLC. It was important for him to share his knowledge and expertise while also helping the residents of Michigan.
"There are so many plants with three leaves out there that you can't follow, right? Otherwise, you'll think every plant with three leaves is this thing that's just going to destroy you or make you itch, give you oozing blisters, and nobody wants that. And then if you're irresponsible with an herbicide, you go out there and you see everything with three leaves. Well, now you're killing everything you don't need to."
Austin Douglas
Topics Covered:
1:45 “I worked for the only poison ivy remediation company in Michigan. And then through some circumstances and looking into things, there wasn't really a path for growth for me. And so what I decided to do was go out on my own, and I'm entering into year four in my own business.”
This is the story of how Austin Douglas founded his company.
3:29 “They tell us their brief synopsis of what they think is happening. And we kind of go with this approach where first of all, we have to come out there and inspect the property. We do charge an inspection fee, we can't go out there for free. Our time is too valuable. And our client's time is too valuable. We don't want to waste their time, right? So we go out there we charge them an inspection. Upon inspection, we go through all of the garden beds, their wooded lots, and their perimeter edges, and we basically point out what they have, and we educate them on what it looks like.”
The process Austin goes through every time he receives a call from a customer. Their goal is to make sure the client is aware of the importance of removing poison ivy.
5:10 - “So there are quite a few plants out there. And then there's a lot of plants that look like poison ivy, but they're not, they have three leaflets if you're uneducated or untrained. You look at them. And like all three leaflets, right? There's a saying that we've all been accustomed to, which leaves a three, let it be. But there are so many plants with three leaves out there that you can't follow that, right? Otherwise, you'll think every plant with three leaves is this thing that's just going to destroy you or make you itch, give you oozing blisters, and nobody wants that. And then if you're irresponsible with an herbicide, you go out there and you see everything with three leaves. Well, now you're killing everything you don't need to.”
The author discusses different kinds of poisonous plants that the average person would be unaware of. When you don't know how to properly handle these plants, you could endanger your health.
7:11 - “Inspection first and foremost. And then we do an herbicide application with a systemic selective herbicide. Basically, that is a product that we apply to the leaves, it's absorbed through the leaves, it's carried down into the root system, and it triggers oxygens, which is a chemical hormone inside the plant. And it basically triggers the plant to grow so fast, that it cannot sustain itself with its food. And so it basically starves itself. And then once the plants die, as I said, that's when it gets a little bit situational, we can either tell the client, okay, we need to remove this based on XYZ situations that you just told us, or we can let it be.
The remediation process. What are the steps a certified arborist follows to remediate?
9:53 - “Plant health care is basically the concept that trees and shrubs have issues, whether they be insect disease, nutrient deficiencies, they have issues due to the environment around them. And due to abiotic and biotic factors. abiotic is basically manmade, we intervened and caused an issue. biotic is living, so we're talking insects, fungi, and things of that nature. And plant health care is basically altering the environment. So that way, we can make this tree or shrub healthy again, you basically have to read the tree, read the environment, see what's going on, and then make adjustments from there.”
What is Plant healthcare? Austin explains.
15:05 - “That's like the first part of what we do when we communicate with a client, right? When we go out there, and we inspect the property, it's all education. So we walk a property, we look at everything. Oh, look, you have these shrubs? Oh, look, they have this insect issue. Do you have these trees? Oh, it looks like they have this issue. Oh, your pines over there. They look like they adopt the stroma and maybe some diplopia tip light, you just start educating people. Because when you start educating people and showing people what you actually know, you're immediately perceived as more professional. They immediately their body changes, they kind of relax and they go, I got the right guy. And that's what you want because then it becomes easier to sell them a service.”
Seeing the importance of knowing things made Austin realize he needed to start an academy that educates people about poison ivy prevention. It is his goal to educate people. These types of things should be educated not only to homeowners but also to landscapers.
Key Takeaways:
"There's poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak. There's another kind of poison ivy, there's like Atlantic poison ivy, and then there's Western poison ivy. Fun fact, mangoes. The skin of mango contains the same oil that's in poison ivy. So if you pick up a mango at the grocery store and you decide to chop into it without peeling it, you'll probably get some redness or blisters on your mouth. Cashews, same thing. They're all in the same family, which is our ACA family, I believe arkad ACA? I don't know if it's Latin, it's difficult to say, right? Forgive me. There are quite a few. And then there are even plants that are poisonous that aren't in the same family like you have giant hogweed. There's another one that's like wild cows, parsnip, or something like that. There's a yellow flower of forgetting blanking on the name right now. But there are quite a few plants that can cause reactions, there are quite a few trees that can too. You know, over in Japan, they have a tree that's very similar to poison sumac, which is what we have here in Michigan. And they used to use that back in the day, they would extract the oil out of it, which is the same oil that would cause a rash." - Austin Douglas
"Teach your family, teach your kid, teach your grandkid. So that way we don't have 50 million people going to the emergency room or going to the doctor with poison ivy rashes. Right. That's the whole concept behind this is to teach people to keep themselves safe. So that's the goal." - Austin Douglas
Connect with Austin
LindkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-douglas-ab1683175/
Website: https://ditchtheitchmi.com/services/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ditch_the_itch_mi/
Connect with Keith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keithkalfas/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelandscapingemployeetrap
Website: https://www.keithkalfas.com/resources
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas
People and Resouces Mentioned:
Poison Ivy Academy Special Offer for Untrapped Podcast Listeners: https://www.poisonivy-academy.com/offers/A2QSkRFu/checkout
Daniel Miraval: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-m-miraval-bcma-ctsp-qcl-b886a1135/
Videos with Daniel Miraval on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@keith-kalfas/search?query=Daniel%20miraval
International Society of Arboriculture: https://www.isa-arbor.com/
Jobber: https://getjobber.com/im/ambassador-referral/?gspk=a2VpdGhrYWxmYXM4NTIx&gsxid=Rs6pwtznLDcs
Ballard: https://www.ballard-inc.com/
