Comfrey

[!mpetuous]

Does anybody know where I can get Comfrey seeds/plants from?  Cannot seem to find them anywhere - except online sites with expensive postage for one lot of seeds.   I think now that I should have ordered some when I ordered my red clover so they could have shared postage costs.

Off to lottie now 

[cleo]

Hi-send me a pm with your addy-I am sure I can spare you a root or two.

Stephan

[!mpetuous]

Home now!

Thanks for the offer - I will pm my details.  Hope there is something I can do in return one day.

[Palustris]

As far as I am concerned, comfrey is top of the plants I would not even give to someone I really hated and despised.  Hope you realise it is one of the most appallingly difficult weeds to get rid off and once you got it, it is more invasive than couch or ground elder. AND if you are really fortunate, you will be allergic to its leaves.

[!mpetuous]

I have got that sussed.  There is a small border between the inside and outside fences of out allotment which is full of weeds.  I have an edge plot and I already have my eyes on the young nettles that are starting to come through and the ferns.  I am going to put my comfrey in there.

[Derek]

I know that there are various types of Comfrey and the one I have is certainly not that invasive.

I have a designated bed and it has stayed within the confines I have set out...I am currently going to create another bed in another part of the allotment (to save my legs)

Derek

[diver]

I believe you can grow it in a container but then ,of course you don't get the benefit of the nitrogen that it's deep roots fix and bring up into it's leaves

[Clayhithe]

??

I didn't realise comfrey was a legume?

Have I missed something here?

[!mpetuous]

Comfrey is good for potash which it's deep roots pull up from the mineral rich subsoil.

[northener]

I've read somewhere to get a particular strain for the garden, bock 14 or something.

[moonbells]

Yes, it's Bocking 14.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfrey

I was given some pieces of stem which grew very nicely and I now have a compact clump just starting to grow this year. Since Bocking 14 is a non-invasive one, I assume that's what I have.  I have damaged bottles from water coolers as mini-cloches around the place, with bases sawn off. I kept one intact for shoving comfrey leaves in (they do prickle a bit!) and I've now got a hellbrew all ready for use when needed.  I'm probably going to add some to one of the water butts... great stuff (though you do need a head cold to use it!)

moonbells

[ani]

In a giant oil sized drum how much comfrey would you need to put in to make a good feed and how long for?

[cleo]

Fear not red Clanger-is indeed Bocking I have-it`s not that invasive-just do not let it go to seed.

Some people get an allergic re-action but it is rare.

will send some roots next time we go to town-probably this weekend.

Stephan

[RichardS]

A few of the folks on our site swear by comfrey - they chop it down & dig it in as a green manure.

Didn't realise some types could be invasive, am hoping that it was Bocking that I planted last year!

[johcharly]

Iwouldnt be without my comfrey, I use it in both a water butt and also a concentrate made by crushing in a bucket.

[Columbus]

Hi all, 

The comfrey I have seems invasive to me. Every tiny peice of broken root puts up a new plant that pushes everything else out of its way then smothers it.

The roots seem to spread just below the surface from the main plants.

I try to limit it to two clumps that I harvest mercilessly for my compost heap especially after the bees have finished with the flowers, so I am in two minds about it.

Col

[wardy]

I've got a comfrey plant and it's been in the garden for about 4 years and it hasn't spread or sent up shoots anywhere else.  it's very tall though so I'm not sure what sort it is but I use it in the water butt and in the compost heap.  When it needs tidying up I just cut the leaves off and chuck them in the border around the plants and it soon disappears into the soil

I've ordered some Bocking for the allotment but found four plants already there when we moved some rubbish. 

[moonbells]

If nothing else, comfrey is a fantastic bee attractor plant if you let it flower.  The wikipedia article says it's got most nutrients if it's cut just before flowering - but I shall probably leave one stem for the bees! Mine is on the site of my old compost heap that got covered with manure for a year and a half, so I figure it's reclaiming all of the goodness that ran off cos I didn't cover it!

(I've also got teasels on the other side of the heap for the goldfinches and cos I like them, but that's another tale!)

moonbells

[philcooper]

Moonbells, the link is very good and gives some good real facts

Wild comfrey is invasive, it spreads by root and seed, Bocking 14 does not set seed or spread by root (if you dig it up the bits of root does rapidly produce new root so pick your spot carefully for planting it)

It is noted for supplying large quantities of potash, not nitrogen, although there is sufficient nitrogen in fresh leaves to allow it to be dug in or placed under plants, such as potato tubers, without causing nitrogen robbery

It is not a legume

I haven't heard of it causing allergic reaction, in fact it is an old cure for broken bones, one of it's common names is knitbone.

I would disagree with the site's recommended way to propagate from cuttings; my way (and I raise dozens each year) is:

In Feb-Mar take a 2" piece of root (make a straight cut at the top and an angled one at the bottom, so that you don't get muddled later). Stick them in some compost with the straight cut edge level with the surface and they will rapidly produce roots and within a month start to produce leaves. I put 4 (one at each corner) in a 7cm square plastic pot so 5 would go in 9cm round pot.
When they look like little plants, plant out 2' 6" or so apart in well manured ground (that's to give em a good start in life) and don't pick leaves this year. You should get up to three crops from next year. Cut them down to the ground when you see the flower stalks starting. Give em a covering of muck/compost each Autumn or Spring - Then you can lift them and give away root cuttings from 2007.

It's nice to leave the odd flower as they attract bees and Bocking 14 doesn't produce viable seed so it doesn't spread like the common stuff.
Be aware, though, that when you lift plants, bits of root will break off, each of these will produce plants so choose you location carefully, it will be you comfrey plot for life!! - again with Bocking 14, the roots do not spread.

You can (and I recommend) make comfrey liquid without water by just piling the leaves in a suitable container, placing a weight on top and collecting the liquid.
The advantage of this system is that the volume is much less (ass its concentrated) and so is the smell. I have a 5 gallon plastic ex-fruit barrel with lid and tap at the bottom (just like a home-brew beer barrel - but much cheaper). I pile leaves in during the growing season with house brick on top and draw off liquid at bottom. At end of season remove the lumpy bits and refill, the old liquid in the bottom seems to start the production quicker than just dry leaves (which isn't long anyway).

I have seen a small version made from a vertical piece of plastic drain pipe (2'-3' long) with the top part of a plastic bottle firmly fixed to the bottom (use waterproof glue/sticky tape. Remember to screw top back on bottle top (or bottom as it is now). Fix pipe to a vertical surface using pipe brackets (as sold in DIY shops). Insert leaves at top and apply a weight - the version I saw used another plastic bottle that would fit easily inside the pipe, filled with water and with a piece of string attached (to retrieve it as it disappeared into the pipe)
Dilute the liquid to the colour of "weak tea" to make liquid fertiliser and then dilute again if you want it as a foliar feed.

Phil

[dotcommon]

i have found a derelict allotment near to mine which is just about covered with wild comfrey - its great.  i am growing some of the bocking 14 in a spare patch of my allotment from seed this year to make my life easier and also to bring in bees.  i melted a hole into the bottom of an old black bin last year which i placed on top of a crate with a bucket under to collect the precious juice.  great tomato feed.  also leaves make a good mulch for potatoes!