Hey so I've been looking at some organic amendments, materials to compost n such and I'm extremely interested in the amazing things that can be done with comfrey. I think I read comfrey is a good activator as well as a great benefit for compost. I want to make that liquid fert from it as well. Does it grow wild at all ? Should I grow some ? Or maybe there is something else that's easier and faster for me to get a hold of. Forgive my ignorance I haven't researched anything nearly as much as i'd like to, I'm crazy about organics though ! Haha. I wanna go to beach and bring kelp already. !! Order bioag vam, and my alfalfa meal!!!!.......panting...lol. I'm broke though so I gotta take it easy. =( I forgot to mention. My father in law has a landscaping business..maybe you guys can help me out with some ideas of lawn and garden stuff I could scavenge that has a nice balance of Nitrogen and Carbon. My grandfather has apple trees, cactus, peach trees, a quince tree, chayote, tomatoes, peppers, roses,avocado tree and an orange tree. Anything good there ? C'mon guys let's get a juicy discussion goin. Thanks Ganj
Comfrey seed can be bought off ebay, mostly international sellers.. a lot of fruit tree growers use alfalfa pellets as a topdressing or so I've read, it causes growth spurts until almost fall 50# is around 8 bucks. Keep it simple, no need to get extravagant on your first time. A lot of people read too much into all the bs as far as things you need, if you have just started to compost you may need to buy a little to get started, yours won't be ready for months. Better watch out with "green manure" might be organicN40 painting turds for his new humanure sales pitch
Please do not buy or use Comfrey seeds. This plant is so invasive that some countries prohibit it. You want to get the sterile Comfrey cultivar - the Bocking 14 and the best (maybe only) source is Horizon Herbs. What you get is a piece of root that you stick in the ground and water. The amount of biomass these plants can produce will amaze you. It is sterile but once you plant it you're stuck with the location you chose. The roots go down deeper than many trees - check what it costs to have an apple tree removed by a professional company. Ain't cheap Photo of root crown from the Bocking 14
DUDE. Thank you. Exactly what I needed in two posts, however while we are on the topic of Comfrey can I ask why you chose the handle CQ ?
All of the above plus many seeds cannot be digested by birds so that when they eat them they end up somewhere else intact and ready to be germinated.
So if I fed well in a 25+ gallon containers would I get the same quality of nutrients and goodies in the leaves as one with deep taproots? Or maybe digging down a few foot and using landscaping fabric to block runners?
I'd suggest ordering several root starts of the comfrey Bocking 14 cultivar and planting it somewhere in the corner of your yard. I have a patch out at my mailbox and another out in the corner of my yard. You can order here - Comfrey, Russian Live Root Cutting (Bocking 14 Cultivar), organic 6 root bag, discounted, organic Planting comfrey in containers defeats the purpose. Comfrey is an "accumulator" plant - ie: it sends out very deep tap roots and "mines" a wide array of nutrition/elements from the ground. Its this nutrition/elements that are mined from the earth that we're after. If you're broke, dandelion is also another very useful accumulator. I think most folks shouldnt have an issue coming up with dandelions...*lol* Best of luck - j
I knew the taproots were the reason I just had to ask for the sake of asking. I have some seeds from another variety besides the bocking 14 I might throw one or two down in the woods or the swamps (there is about 250 acres of swamp within walking distance)
Hey ! My grandparents have some of that stuff in the middle in the backyard. I can get all I need. What's it called in english ? Should I compost it ?
Horsetail Ferns - the oldest true plant on earth. Cut, chop, and soak water for 3 - 4 weeks. Take those invasive Comfrey seeds, put them on a work bench and using a hammer smash the crap out of them. If you were to plant only 4 seeds this year, within 2 years you would have over 400 (minimum) plants. This plant is not native to North America or even the Western Hemisphere so why screw up a local ecosystem? There's you entire Botanical Tea program - Horsetail Ferns CQ
Bocking 14 Comfrey can not reproduce - it's sterile. It doesn't make seeds. It stays in one location for over 35 years. CQ
i was always told that those were called "cave man straw" although i dont think ive seen any like in that first photo. my dad used to have a whole bunch of them around his pond. they took over the whole area and I almost put my eye out many a time trying to reach back behind them to turn on the garden hose!
I'd like to buy some horsetail plants as I have all the comfrey I can deal with. ... the fellow at Coe's Comfrey in NC sent very large 8" branched roots for $8/per plant and they are producing very well. Who sells the Arvense horsetail plants? Thanks, url
One place that I have noticed them are at retailer's that specialize in backyard ponds and water features. I would imagine they are expensive though. I often see them growing wild around retention ponds and poorly drained ditches. This would make their availability much less expensive.
Thanks Sam, The type sold for decorative ponds is a minature version and I have one. I need to get out and scout some local areas like you suggest. I actually put a request on CL for any leads and got flagged and deleted. I know I have seen it but can't remember where. The pound I bought from Horizon Herbs has been wonderful. Ok, so this is a comfrey thread..oops url