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POISON IVY HORTICULTURIST

About us

Hi, I'm Umar Mycka, the Poison Ivy Horticulturist. I identify and remove poison ivy plants from residential and commercial properties in Philadelphia and surrounding regions – including the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Education and Background - Graduate of Temple University, Suma Cum Laude, 1985 - Horticulture A.S. Abilities - 36 years as a public garden Horticulturist for the Philadelphia Zoo. Graduate of Fast Trac New Venture - Entrepreneurship Program, Womens Business Development Center, Philadelphia, PA. June, 2008 - present, Poison Ivy Horticulturist business Owner, 300 clients including Paramount Pictures. June, 2010 and June, 2011 - Taught course on nuisance plants for Environmental & Public Health -NJ at the State Health Inspectors at Rutgers University. Certified & Licensed Commercial Pesticide Applicator in 4 states. Please see this CBS article: http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/06/19/you-dont-want-poison-ivy/

Business highlights

Emergency services offered
19 years of experience

Services we offer

Identify and remove the Poison Ivy and other invasive plants from Residential and Commercial properties.

Amenities

Emergency Services

Yes

Reviews
5.030 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
100%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%
Showing 1-25 of 30 reviews
Ursula B.
Mar 2024
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$810
We never have been so pleased. The attention given to our poison ivy problem and other invasive plants was truly amazing. They dug up our irises, uprooted the poison ivy and then replanted the irises. They wiggled their way into our 60+ year old azalea to remove the poison ivy as well as other invasive plants. Highly recommend Umar and his team.

Sam K.
Jun 2021
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$9,900
Umar and his team showed up and did an excellent job removing Poison Ivy from multiple trees, bushes, and the ground. The whole team walked the perimeter of my yard to spot treat and Poison Ivy shoots that were growing into the grass of my yard, or coming up in recently cleared wood lines. 1 year guarantee gives me peace of mind in the service.

Douglas B.
Jul 2019
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$600
Had about 200sf address infested with poison ivy, danger to grandkids and others. The team removed it all and did a fantastic job.

Patricia B.
Aug 2018
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
He was professional and informative, would absolutely use again.

Barbara T.
Sep 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
It went very well.

Timothy G.
Jun 2017
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,200
Turned out well. A few poison ivy plants had appeared a few years ago in our yard (birds drop the seeds) and had begun to spread voraciously. Something had to be done. Being quite allergic, it's not something I could even attempt. It's not easy to find anyone else to do it either. Umar's experienced team of gardeners completely and safely removed all the poison vines and roots by hand while preserving the existing plants, no herbicides were used. They had what they needed, worked hard and hauled everything away. It took all day and was expensive but a huge relief for us. Every bit of the poison ivy is gone and Umar will send the team back if it reappears. Umar was hard to get hold of at first but once we connected he responded well. He's very pleasant, knowledgeable and accurate in his assessment of the job. If you have this problem, which is akin to getting rid of asbestos, Umar is the guy to talk to.
Response from POISON IVY HORTICULTURIST
"Hi [Member Name Removed] Thank you for the honest review. It's true we are not a smooth operation when it comes to the initial calls and first appointments. We need to work on that aspect of our service."

Russell T.
Aug 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
They were prompt and pulled out all the poison ivy in the areas Umar and I had decided on. So happy this summer not to have to worry about getting poison ivy when I am outside doing yard work.

Richard D.
Jul 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,000
unknown

Tom G.
Jul 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,900
Umar was great and his team was fantastic. They did an awesome job and performance was aligned with the expectations Umar had set. These guys are experts!

Kareem S.
May 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Umar is a stand up guy. We had questions on what to do with what we thought was poison ivy again. He asked us to email all the pictures we had of it. He did the evaluation all over email and even gave us advice on what to do going forward. Not only that, he responded back to us INSTANTLY. I wish all other providers had even the 1/10th of the service Umar provided to us. I will use him exclusively and will recommend him to everyone we know.

Lois B.
Dec 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$100
unknown

JOAN C.
Dec 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,600
unknown

Lawrence D.
Oct 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,000
We were very happy with what he did. He even gave us some extra advise for our garden that we had questions about.

Patricia Z.
Jul 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,500
unknown

Alan B.
May 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$500
Umar was great from the start! He and a fellow worker came out for an estimate. They looked all over to make sure no poison ivy would be missed. We scheduled the work for the coming week. Umar called the evening before as a reminder, then again the day of the job to give us a time. His workers were here before the time given. They were nice guys who went right to work. They totally removed the poison ivy and other plants that had become entangled with the ivy. They removed all of this from our property. 
We were left with a nice clean poison ivy free area!



MAUREEN T.
May 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$265
He did a wonderful job. It took awhile. This was more poison ivy than I could handle. He removed at least 7 bags of roots/ runners and vines. He took these bags away for disposal. He applied a herbicide to a large root that couldn't be dug up. He checked with me before going ahead with the herbicide. He was very careful to not get the poison ivy oil on anything. I recommend him highly.

Mark D.
May 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,700
Umar and his crew were great. They provided the service requested - the poison ivy removal - and they also removed other weeds, English ivy, and honeysuckle, they seeded new grass, and they removed a small unhealthy tree. They stacked the yard debris for the township to remove and they hauled away the poison ivy. Can't say enough about what a positive experience this was. Highly recommend Umar Mycka, The Poison Ivy Horticulturalist.

Marcia C.
Oct 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$5,000
It went very smoothly.  The first date we agreed on, I was called out of town for a family emergency.  They came anyway and Umer and his assistant Cassim came over 2 days later to review the work with me and accept a check.  The second day as just 6 days later.  They cleaned up so well they even swept up leaves I hadn't yet raked up!

Lois B.
Aug 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$750
Mr Umar Mycha arrived to inspect our property and provide a quote to do the work within approximately 2 weeks. Mr Mycka took the time to teach me about the weeds in my garden especially the poison ivy. It was not necessary for us to be home when the work was done but we were. The team was very careful and complete following flags left by Mr Mycka on his first visit. They used no chemicals but rather dug up each plant. They even removed some stubborn English ivy that took over our chimney. This must be their busy season because we only had twelve hours notice before they showed up. Nevertheless the whole experience was great. I cannot say enough good things about the work.

Wendy S.
Jul 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,900
I called Umar Mycka on Monday, 7/8 and he returned my call the same day. He came to see the property in Philadelphia that evening and the crew came and did the work the next day (Tuesday, 7/9) Very impressive!

Diane G.
Jul 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,000
After his visit I found more suspicious plants, called him, and his worker came back at no charge.

Elizabeth C.
Jun 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$450
He came, he saw , he conquered.
Ok, he came, examined the property, gave me a price, which we agreed to and showed up before he promised.  Two employees performed the bulk of the work, cleaned everything up, then the owner came back and inspected the area.
All in all, simple, straightforward and as advertised.  Expensive, but worth every penny!

Linda P.
Jun 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$4,950
Umar called me right away...he came out and met with my husband, went over what needed to be done and began the work right away.  It took one whole day to remove all the poison ivy from the property!   They then started with the flower beds which took 3 days....the beds look beautiful!  They were very professional, courteous, respectful and the knew their business!!!!  They worked hard the entire time they were here, which was 4 full days, early morning until 7pm!!  They are excellent!!!!!!!!  I cannot say enough great things about Umar and his staff!


Terry N.
Jun 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$550
I do not have extravagant gardens, but I so enjoy my little piece of God's acreage and the relief I now have, several weeks after the poison ivy has been removed, being able to tend my garden. The day after the removal I felt confident enough to go out and weed some of my flower beds which had gotten overgrown, due to the fact that I had come down with a bad case of poison ivy on my face three weeks prior and I was certain that a nasty rash would show up somewhere on my body, should I attempt to tend my flower beds once again.  But, I am oh so happy to report, other than I still use gardening gloves, I have been able to wear shorts and short sleeve tops while tinkering around in my yard and I don't have the overhanging feeling of dread I had experienced in the past years,  knowing that the poison ivy is no where in sight.  I cannot speak highly enough of the knowledge, patience and understanding of a Umar Mycka and his entire staff of courteous professionals 

Doris C.
Feb 2013
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Poison Ivy Horticulturist were professional, they got back to me on time, and the owner was very nice. He returned the call promptly, he got here when he said he would, and they did the job really well. There were 3 people working in my yard. The price was reasonable.
Showing 1-25 of 30

Licensing

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FAQ

POISON IVY HORTICULTURIST is currently rated 5.0 overall out of 5.

No, POISON IVY HORTICULTURIST does not offer free project estimates.

No, POISON IVY HORTICULTURIST does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.

No, POISON IVY HORTICULTURIST does not offer a senior discount.

Yes, POISON IVY HORTICULTURIST offers emergency services.

No, POISON IVY HORTICULTURIST does not offer warranties.