Gardening without the ouch

Planting a garden and watching it grow can be very satisfying. However, making it successful requires a lot of hard work, which can lead to possible dangers. To protect yourself, it is important to follow some simple tips. Take care of your body by warming up or stretching to prevent injuries. Using knee pads will reduce stress on your back. Don't forget to take breaks and hydrate. Dress the part by wearing gloves to prevent blisters, protect your skin from chemicals, and protect your hands from thorns, cuts, and bruises. Wear a hat and use a product with an SPF of 15 or higher to prevent sunburn. Use a DEET-based repellent to prevent insect bites. Use chemicals carefully. When using pesticides, it is important to read the label to ensure you are using them correctly and for their intended purpose. Be sure to store these products properly, keeping them away from kids and animals. Be wary of various plants that may sneak into your landscape, especially poison ivy, oak, and sumac. While we use these names interchangeably, they are not the same plant. Poison oak is not found in Ohio, and poison sumac prefers swamps and peat bogs in eastern and southern Ohio. For pictures of all 3, visit: inaturalist.org/guides/20146. However, they all contain a chemical called urushiol that causes a skin rash when touched. The chemical in the oil is found in the leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, and roots all year long, even in the fall and winter when the plant is dormant. A reaction can happen during any season. It doesn't take much of the chemical to cause a rash. Just touching a pet rubbed against or rolled in the plant, grabbing a tool used to cut it, or handling clothing that touched the plant can produce a reaction. Even burning the plants can cause the oil to be airborne and can harm eyes and lungs. Those "leaves of 3" can be found along the edges of the ground where we live and play as a seedling that looks like a weed or a vine that can climb a wall or hide in your shrubbery. Avoiding touching these plants is the best protection. Wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts can help prevent the plant from touching your skin. Wash your clothing, pets, tools, and your skin as soon as possible after exposure. For more information about poison ivy, visit the website: www.poison-ivy.org Many of our landscapes border grassy fields, brushy/overgrowth areas, or woods. Ticks prefer these habitats, so even if our yards are not a tick habitat we may come in contact to border areas that are ideal for them. These tiny little arachnids can cause disease in humans. The most common ticks Ohioans could encounter are the Blacklegged tick, or deer tick – that likes woody and brushy areas and can carry Lyme disease; the American dog tick – whose habitat is grassy fields and clearings and can cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and the Lone Star tick which is found in woods with plenty of underbrush. These blood sucking insects will latch onto your lower legs as you walk through their habitat, then travel up your body seeking a warm spot to attach. Nymphs (the third stage of the tick's development) are the size of a poppy seed and are most likely to carry disease. Ticks are most active from April through September but can be active all year! For more information, visit the website: ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-2073 To prevent tick bites, be aware of tick habitats. Stay in the middle of trails and avoid tall grass, brush, and weedy areas. Wear clothes treated with permethrin (a pesticide) and light-colored long pants and shirts so you can see them. Apply insect repellent to your skin. Check yourself, your pets, and your children after being outside, remove any ticks you find, and shower and dry your clothes on high heat. If you find a tick on you, use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the head as possible. Gently pull up slowly. Wait for the tick to release its grip. Be sure to get the whole tick. Sanitize the area with soap and water. Saving the tick in a baggie in your freezer may help identify it if symptoms occur. If so, see your doctor. For a helpful tick removal website, visit: cdc.gov/ticks/ So, prepare before working in the yard and garden, be aware of poison ivy and ticks, and protect yourself – but most of all, enjoy your time in the garden. Lark McCormick is an Ohio State University Extension Hancock County Master Gardener Volunteer. Find them on Facebook at "Hancock County Master Gardener Volunteers."