Comfrey as Plant Food

[boydzfish]

There is a lot of information on this subject and I was wondering if all comfrey is good for this or just a particular variety. I ask because I have planted some in the allotment but mine is not as large as my next door neighbours plant but the flowers look similar. Also how easy is it to grow form say a cutting?

[boydzfish]

[goodlife]

How easy?...Well..very.. :-X Just a piece of root and you've got yourself a plant..
All comfrey is good as feed..you don't need to have any 'special varieties' they all have the same goodness in them..those particular varietys just have more of the good stuff or/and are better behaved growth wise.

[tonybloke]

How easy?...Well..very.. :-X Just a piece of root and you've got yourself a plant..
All comfrey is good as feed..you don't need to have any 'special varieties' they all have the same goodness in them..those particular varietys just have more of the good stuff or/and are better behaved growth wise.

erm, have you read the trial reports from the Bocking trial grounds in Essex?
not all varieties are equal!!

hence, 'Bocking 14' ( the fourteenth trial bed @ Bocking) is THE ONE to use!!!!

[Ellen K]

Buy MiracleGro and put your comfrey on the compost heap is my advice.

MiracleGro is cheap if you keep your eyes open - I just bought a 1 kg box from Tesco for £3.20.

You must need 10kg of plant material in a barrel to make an equivalent strength feed.

On the other hand, you can't make enough compost and comfrey is good stuff.

[Digeroo]

I thouht the advantage of Bocking14 was it did not set seed so did not spread about the place.

Comfrey actually comes in a stunning variety of colours.  I like the ones that start red and then pale to a dark pink.

Comfrey does heat up the compost bin very hot very quickly.  But miraclegrow is not organic but certainly smells better.

[Hector]

I've got some Bocking...how can I share a bit with Boydzfish...just dig up a bit of root?

[elhuerto]

how can I share a bit with Boydzfish...just dig up a bit of root?

That's all it takes, I was sent two very small root cuttings two years ago and now have a plant about 2 metres wide, 1.5m high.

[goodlife]

Code Select Expand

erm, have you read the trial reports from the Bocking trial grounds in Essex? not all varieties are equal!!
That's true..not equal..that wasn't my claim..I was saying that in general all comfry has good 'stuff' in them and can be used as feed. The trial did show superiority of the Bocking 14..but it doesn't really say that others are 'no good' neither.
If you use comfrey as the 'one' specific fertilizer then you will see difference by choosing the B14 but if its use bit 'inconsistently'.. here and there, not all the time, some as mulch..I doubt you could tell any difference what what sort of comfrey it is...particularly if it is mixed with other plants to make the brew.

[Hector]

Boydzfish, if you want a piece pm me :)

[bikegirllisa]

I got the organic seed catalogue today, and they had pelleted comfrey.  Assume this would do the trick too?

[pumkinlover]

I got the organic seed catalogue today, and they had pelleted comfrey.  Assume this would do the trick too?

I'm sure it would but growing your own is cheaper!

I have a Comfrey only tub for the high potash and a comfrey/ nettle/ chicken and pidgeon poo/ pee blend for a higher nitrogen mix.

No trials, no special claims but works for me! ;)

[tomatoada]

In the trials where did  the sterile comfrey come from?

[Froglegs]

I would not be without my comfrey, as a liquid feed, compost activator,slow release fertilizer dig in the leaves just before you put your outdoor toms in it works a treat,plus the bees love it when its in flower so grow a plant next to your beans to attract the bee's to your bean row,and not only that theres a variegated form i grow in my herbaceous boarder at home so it looks good to, all that and it's free  ;D

[gwynleg]

I read recently about a less smelly way of making the concentrated comfrey liquid. Apparently you get two buckets that fit inside each other. Make holes in bottom of the top bucket. Put lots of comfrey in weighted down by a brick and put a lid on. The concentrate should come through and then needs diluting.

Anyone tried it already? Is it less smelly?!!

[Ellen K]

^^ not tried it but Toby demo'ed something similar at GW Live last year, here is the text from the GardenersWorld website (he says you still get a pong though):

Comfrey is an invaluable plant in the garden. Not only does it provide nectar rich flowers for wildlife it also can be used to produce a high potash fertiliser for all plants. The deep roots of the plant drag up nutrients from way down in the soil and store them in its leaves. The fertiliser can then be extracted from the leaves:
• Cut and crush an armful of fresh comfrey leaves.
• Attach a piece of down or soil pipe to your shed using brackets.
• Drill holes in an end cap and plug the bottom end of the pipe.
• Stuff the leaves into the pipe.
• Fill an empty plastic bottle with sand and add some water to ensure the bottle is heavy.
• Tie a long piece of string to the neck of the bottle.
• Put the bottle in the top of the pipe.

What happens is that the bottle slowly presses the leaves as they rot down, extracting the natural fertiliser that then drips through the holes in the end cap into any container of your choice. The fertiliser is best diluted 1 part fertiliser to 15 parts water and used wherever your garden needs it.
The only warning is that the fertiliser and rotting leaves really do smell - but the resultant fertiliser is well worth it.
.

[jjt]

What I do is use a small barrel, with holes drilled in the bottom, which sits on top of a bucket.  Stuff the comfrey in and every now and then empty the bucket into a milk carton. Store it until needed, when I water it down. Probably at about 20:1, though I'm not too fussy.  Keep it all in the shed - no stink at all.  Wouldn't dream of doing it any other way.  (I think the barrel once held chutney. Don't know where I got it from but if I wanted another I'd consider asking at an Indian restaurant.)

[pumkinlover]

We did use the method Denbyvisitor describes at one time and I think it was less smelly than the soaking in water method.

[lavenderlux]

I use the same method of 'gwynleg' - and then put the buckets into a large bin bag and gather the top of the bag and hold with pegs - helps keep the smell in and the flies away.

If you grow the flowering type of comfrey - which bees love and which I think is more vigorous than the Bocking 14 strain - you need to cut and use this before the seeds ripen, it then grows again rapidly for further cuts.  Have just bottled (into a plastic milk container) my first brew of 2011 - very dark and thick this year.

As well as using comfrey juice - diluted - on vegetables its also good for hanging baskets

[kt.]

how easy is it to grow form say a cutting?

I was given some cuttings beginning of  April and I put them in 3" pots with multipurpose compost.  2 were through within 2 weeks,  the remaining 5 just poked through 3 weeks ago but all now need transplanting into the ground.