Topic: Propagating Comfrey

[Digeroo]

I have found a lovely looking comprey plant growing in the hedgerow which has pale green shiney leaves.  Thought it may be sick, but it looks very healthy, little insect damage etc,  slightly smaller than normal so thought it might be good in the garden.

Can anyone help by telling me the best way to propagate it, what is the best time of year to take a root cutting?  Will it root from a stem cutting?

[zigzig]

Comfrey is a strong weed. It takes over any ground you plant it in.

It is impossible to destroy it (even weed killers have been known to fail in their job).

This poorly plant you have found, should be taken by the root and put in a big pot (very big) so that it does not take over your garden.

Harvest it with out concern for it's welfare,  if it is comfrey, no matter how severely you yank off all it's leaves. It will, like the exterminator..Return.

[Digeroo]

Thanks for your advice.  Sounds as if I should give comfrey a bit of a miss.  Will continue scrumping it from the hedgerows, local farmers certainly do not like it, blocks the ditches and hence adds to flooding risk. 

I already have a major issue with perennial forget me not do not want another plant on a takeover bid.

[grannyjanny]

Digeroo if you can get hold of some bocking 14 comfrey this is grown from root cuttings & doesn't spread via seed.
HTH.
Janet

[Unwashed]

You need a decent bit of root to propogate it.  Dormant is better, but it would probably take now.  Remember that uprooting anything from the wild is illegal if you don't have the landowner's permission.

I've not had trouble with comfrey getting out of control.  I'm also not totally convinced that it's much use either.  It's virtues are espoused with worrying zeal and the stink from fermenting comfrey tea is just antisocial.

[Hector]

Digeroo if you can get hold of some bocking 14 comfrey this is grown from root cuttings & doesn't spread via seed.
HTH.
Janet

I have this and will happily do cutting(s) for you if you are not in a hurry

[Digeroo]

Thanks to all for the advise.  Not sure on reflection that it is a good idea.  Will be difficult to tell from the Alkanet which  I have all over the place and which I dig up with verve as soon as I spot it.  Already have difficulty distinguishing that from foxgloves.

Do not want to dig up the whole plant, do you think 'Unwashed' that small piece of root would count. Presume it belongs to county council.  They certainly do not like comfrey.  In many places it is growing 1.5 metres tall already and it is yet to flower, warm days must have got it going.

[grannyjanny]

We have lots of comfrey in flower on our site. When I started asking if it was Bocking no-one had heard of it. Mine won't be spreading like theirs. Thanks to Tony.
Janet

[Unwashed]

Technically, yes, just a piece of root would be illegal to dig up.

[chriszog]

No, digging up the whole plant is illegal, a small piece of root is fine.
TZK

[davee52uk]

You can propogate comfrey from a piece of root.

I will be doing the same tomorrow on a piece of waste ground on my allotment.

I have comfrey great for promoting growth, mulching and making comfrey tea.

Contrary to above comments, I did not have any trouble with smell when making comfrey tea. I put loads of comfrey leaves in an old homebrew beer barrel. I topped up with water and then periodically with urine. There was no smell as it was sealed. The liquid was a bit smelly when sprayed as a fertiliser, but as it was diluted with water it wasn't too bad.

I've just started again with comfrey tea using a small plastic bin with a tap currently on sale at Oxfam for £6 - it sold as a multi purpose water holder.

As comfrey is fast growing weed, you have to be a bit careful, but it can be killed off by sucessive cutting the top and removing the roots.

[Robert_Brenchley]

That's easier said than done!

[FennelandFern]

It should take root very happily from a root cutting. Don't bother doing a stem cutting...too much hassle, and unlikely to work. Also, don't try growing them from seed - they're a total nightmare!

But do grow it. I know it's a bit of a handful, and spreads quite happily, but its nutritional value is fantastic. You can line potato trenches with it, shred the leaves and mix them into the soil before planting tomatoes, as well as soaking it for three weeks to make comfrey concentrate. Whenever I've used it, whether on my veg or as a compost activator, I've always seen a good result. Just don't pour it onto a brassica you're about to eat as the smell is beyond description...and I imagine the taste is worse...

[Unwashed]

No, digging up the whole plant is illegal, a small piece of root is fine.
TZK

You're right, it's uprooting the whole plant that's illegal by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, taking a bit of root without uprooting a stem appears to be OK, though there's still the Theft Act.  Asking the landowner is probably the responsible thing to do though.

[FennelandFern]

If it's a verge, it's probably the responsibility of your parish council...

[chriszog]

No, digging up the whole plant is illegal, a small piece of root is fine.
TZK

You're right, it's uprooting the whole plant that's illegal by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, taking a bit of root without uprooting a stem appears to be OK, though there's still the Theft Act.  Asking the landowner is probably the responsible thing to do though.

No not an offence under the Theft Act either? Time to move on??

[Unwashed]

As I understand it, the Theft Act 1968 makes it a criminal offence to remove part of a plant without the landowner's permission.  Section 4(3) makes exceptions for fruit, flowers and foliage if it isn't for commercial gain, but taking a root cutting isn't excepted.

[daileg]

does that mean i cant go up the mountain and help my self to some furns they grow everywhere   :(

[lewic]

is there CCTV up there?  ;)

[tonybloke]

does that mean i cant go up the mountain and help my self to some furns they grow everywhere   :(

who's land are they on, daileg?
would it be O.K. to come and have a couple of plants off of your land?