Symphytum: The Comfrey Thread

Discussion in 'Growing Organic Marijuana' started by donothinggardening, Oct 21, 2014.

  1. #1 donothinggardening, Oct 21, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 29, 2016
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    Hello fellow Comfrey farmers! Welcome to The Comfrey Thread, where anything and everything Comfrey-related is discussed.

    I just started growing Comfrey in my yard this summer and I am loving it! It is an excellent mulch maker, as well as a great "green" material for your compost pile. It also has medicinal uses. Comfrey produces a compound called allantoin which promotes cell growth and can heal wounds and broken bones. Its nickname is "knitbone." The purple and pink flowers are beautiful, and they also attract bees and other beneficial insects.

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    Comfrey is part of a group of plants commonly called, "dynamic bionutrient accumulators". It mines nutrients from deep in the soil using long taproots, and transforms them into nutrient-rich biomass above the soil.

    Dynamic Accumulators.jpg

    Here is a brief introduction to the Comfrey plant and a rundown on cultivation techniques and uses, courtesy of Wikipedia:

    "Comfrey (also comphrey) is a common name for plants in the genus Symphytum. Comfrey species are important herbs in organic gardening. It is used as a fertilizer and as an herbal medicine. The most commonly used species is Russian comfrey Symphytum uplandicum, which is a cross or hybrid of Symphytum officinale (Common Comfrey) and Symphytum asperum (Rough Comfrey).

    Cultivation

    Comfrey has long been recognized by both organic gardeners and herbalists for its great usefulness and versatility; of particular interest is the 'Bocking 14' cultivar of Russian Comfrey. This strain was developed during the 1950s by Lawrence D Hills, the founder of the Henry Doubleday Research Association (the organic gardening organisation itself named after the Quaker pioneer who first introduced Russian Comfrey into Britain in the nineteenth century) following trials at Bocking, near Braintree, the original home of the organization.

    The comfrey bed should be well prepared by weeding thoroughly, and dressing with manure if available. Offsets should be planted 0.6 - 1m (2-3 feet) apart with the growing points just below the surface, while root segments should be buried about 5 cm (2 inches) deep. Keep the bed well watered until the young plants are established. Comfrey should not be harvested in its first season as it needs to become established. Any flowering stems should be removed as these will weaken the plant in its first year.

    Comfrey is a fast-growing plant, producing huge amounts of leaf during the growing season, and hence is very nitrogen hungry. Although it will continue to grow no matter what, it will benefit from the addition of animal manure applied as a mulch, and can also be mulched with other nitrogen rich materials such as lawn clippings, and is one of the few plants that will tolerate the application of fresh urine diluted 50:50 with water, although this should not be regularly added as it may increase salt levels in the soil and have adverse effects on soil life such as worms. Mature comfrey plants can be harvested up to four or five times a year. They are ready for cutting when about 60 cm (2 feet) high, and, depending on seasonal conditions, this is usually in mid-Spring. Comfrey will rapidly regrow, and will be ready for further cutting about 5 weeks later. It is said that the best time to cut comfrey is shortly before flowering, for this is when it is at its most potent in terms of the nutrients that it offers. Comfrey can continue growing into mid-Autumn, but it is not advisable to continue taking cuttings after early Autumn in order to allow the plants to build up winter reserves. After the growing season, leaving comfrey beds fallow may deliver higher yields in future harvests, as the plant builds up energy reserves in its roots.

    Comfrey should be harvested by using either shears, a sickle, or a scythe to cut the plant about 2 inches above the ground, taking care handling it because the leaves and stems are covered in hairs that can irritate the skin. It is advisable to wear gloves when handling comfrey. Despite being sterile, Bocking 14 Russian Comfrey will steadily increase in size. It is therefore advisable to split it up every few years (and at the same time propagate more plants that can be shared with fellow gardeners!). It is however difficult to remove comfrey once established as it is very deep rooting, and any fragments left in the soil will regrow. Rotovation can be successful, but may take several seasons. The best way to eradicate comfrey is to very carefully dig it out, removing as much of the root as possible. This is best done in hot, dry summer weather, wherein the dry conditions will help to kill off any remaining root stumps. Comfrey is generally trouble free once established, although weaker or stressed plants can suffer from comfrey rust or mildew. Both are fungal diseases, although they rarely seriously reduce plant growth and thus do not generally require control. However infected plants should not be used for propagation purposes.

    Fertilizer Uses

    Comfrey is a particularly valuable source of fertility to the organic gardener. It is very deep rooted and acts as a dynamic accumulator, mining a host of nutrients from the soil. These are then made available through its fast-growing leaves (up to 4-5 pounds per plant per cut) which, lacking fibres, quickly break down to a thick black liquid. There is also no risk of nitrogen robbery when comfrey is dug into the soil as the C:N ratio of the leaves is lower than that of well-rotted compost. Comfrey is an excellent source of potassium, an essential plant nutrient needed for flower, seed and fruit production. Its leaves contain 2-3 times more potassium than farmyard manure, mined from deep in the subsoil, tapping into reserves that would not normally be available to plants.

    There are various ways in which comfrey can be used as a fertilizer. These include:

    *Comfrey as a compost activator - include comfrey in the compost heap to add nitrogen and help to heat the heap. Comfrey should not be added in quantity as it will quickly break down into a dark sludgy liquid that needs to be balanced with more fibrous, carbon-rich material.

    *Comfrey liquid fertilizer - can be produced by either rotting leaves down in rainwater for 4-5 weeks to produce a ready-to-use 'comfrey tea', or by stacking dry leaves under a weight in a container with a hole in the base. When the leaves decompose a thick black comfrey concentrate is collected. This must be diluted at 15:1 before use.

    *Comfrey as a mulch or side dressing - a two-inch layer of comfrey leaves placed around a crop will slowly break down and release plant nutrients; it is especially useful for crops that need extra potassium, such as fruit bearers but also reported to do well for potatoes. Comfrey can be slightly wilted before application optionally but either way, avoid using flowering stems as these can root.

    *Comfrey as a companion plant for trees and other perennials. Soil tests confirm that soil nutrients increase in the presence of comfrey even when it is not used as mulch, side dressing, or liquid fertilizer, but just allowed to grow.

    *Comfrey potting mixture - originally devised to utilize peat, now environmental awareness has led to a leaf mold-based alternative being adopted instead; two year old, well decayed leaf mold should be used, this will absorb the nutrient-rich liquid released by the decaying comfrey. In a black plastic sack alternate 7-10 cm (3-4 inch) layers of leaf mold and chopped comfrey leaves. Add a little dolomitic limestone to slightly raise pH. Leave for between 2-5 months depending on the season, checking that it does not dry out or become too wet. The mixture is ready when the comfrey leaves have rotted and are no longer visible. Use as a general potting compost, although it is too strong for seedlings.

    Propagation

    Bocking 14 is sterile, and therefore will not set seed (one of its advantages over other cultivars as it will not spread out of control), thus is propagated from root cuttings. The gardener can produce his or her own offsets' from mature, strongly growing plants by driving a spade horizontally through the leaf clumps about 7 cm (3inches) below the soil surface. This removes the crown, which can then be split into pieces. The original plant will quickly recover, and each piece can be replanted with the growing points just below the soil surface, and will quickly grow into new plants. When choosing plants to divide, ensure that they are strong healthy specimens with no signs of rust or mildew. When dividing comfrey plants, take care not to spread root fragments around, or dispose of on the compost heap, as each can re-root, and comfrey can be a very difficult plant to get rid of. Offsets can also be purchased by mail order from specialist nurseries in order to initially build up a stock of plants."

    Here are few youtube videos about Comfrey

    Why permaculture folks love comfrey:

    why permaculture folks love comfrey

    Grow Your Own Fertilizer: Bocking 14 Russian Comfrey



    Easy Comfrey Propagation



    Put Your Blender To Work In Your Garden



    Our First Batch Of Comfrey Tea



    Comfrey, it's Uses and a Comfrey Poultice Demonstration



    Comfrey, ftw!!

    Happy growing! :wave:

    TJ

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  2. Evidently, italics are not an option in writing thread titles.. :lol:

    TJ
     
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  3. Not to worry - it's implied!
     
  4. #4 donothinggardening, Oct 21, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 21, 2014
    Hey coot :wave: while I have ya, do you happen to have that PDF version of Lawrence D. Hills' book handy? :)

    TJ
     
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  5. Sweet!  I just got a start of comfrey this weekend at a plant swap.  I hope it will still be ok if I get it in the ground tomorrow afternoon.  :confused:
     
  6. It'll be ok. That's a promise. Lol. You can't kill this plant.

    I bought my root cuttings from Coe's Comfrey this summer and the package arrived while I was out of town.... they sat in a closed envelope full of wood shavings, at room temperature for TWO WEEKS. No lie, no exaggeration at all lol. I fully expected them to be dead when I got home. But nope! Buried them in soil and a week or so later I had comfrey sprouts! Then they just took off from there lol.

    TJ
     
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  7. Just got ten crowns from ol' Coe today. Even through in ten extra cuttings and 3 dvds.
     
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  8. #8 donothinggardening, Oct 21, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 21, 2014
    Get any good dvds on chem trails? Lol

    TJ
     
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  9. He is definitely one strange individual isn't he?
     
  10. #10 wetdog, Oct 21, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 21, 2014
    No one uses Horizon Herbs anymore?  https://www.horizonherbs.com
     
    Recently received their fall/winter catalog with some nice sales on stuff that should be planted now. This particular catalog is practically all fall sown seeds. Of course, they are all organic. Some very nice pen and ink illustrations to boot.
     
    Wet
     
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  11.  
    I'm going to try. Well, at least try and kill deep roots.
     
    I want my raised bed back first off and after growing it for 3 years, I've found better places in the yard to grow it. A bit shadier and way more moisture. They do like their wet spots and some shade in the hottest part of the day. Plan on digging as deep as I can and maybe or maybe not dividing the crowns up. Have 10 plants going and that pretty much fills my needs with some left over. We'll see, a couple of the plants have huge crowns and might have to be divided.
     
    Any suggestions for killing the roots that are left in the ground? I was thinking boiling water might do the trick, but IDK. I really want to avoid chemicals since I do have perennial herbs growing in the same bed. Have some time though, not going to do all this till next spring.
     
    Thanks.
     
    Wet
     
  12. Something I've been contemplating for an herbicide...fermented SST. I remember a post by Coot. He said when he was first experimenting with malted grains he let some "brew" too long, it fermented and killed the plant he used it on. Just a thought.

    Solo
     
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  13. #13 Irie_Organics, Oct 21, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 21, 2014
    Yah turns into Acetic acid which is a herbicide. I brewed a malted barley tea in a DIY vortex for 19 hours and it turned to acetic acid on me. Smells like vinegar when you give it the sniff test. I had no idea what I had created, but it didn't seem right so I chucked it. I messaged Coot and he explained what I had made. 4 hour max brew time for me now.


    Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
     
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  14. Horticultural vinegar is a natural herbicide due to the high acetic acid content. Might work... not sure....

    From what I have read, it is very difficult to eradicate comfrey once it is established, but it can be done. Carefully dig up and remove all root mass you can. Do this when it is hot and the soil is dry, that way any remaining root pieces will hopefully die from lack of moisture. Then, sheet mulch the hell out of the spot with cardboard, wood chips etc at 6"+ deep and make sure it all stays dry as long as possible. Might work lol..

    I've noticed the same thing wet. I planted my comfrey plants in the complete wrong spot lol. They like moist soil and they like it cool. Full sun with some shade during the heat of the day if possible. All of that surface area from those broad leaves just makes for some serious water loss on hot days. I've come home to wilted comfrey more than a few times this summer. I planted mine along a south facing wall with lots of windows :eek: DUMB lol. It's a freakin' oven right there with all of the windows. The one plant that is shaded midday is the only one that always looks good.

    So a low spot in your yard where water runs down to would be a good spot. A place that stays cooler but gets plenty of sun would be ideal.

    TJ
     
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  15. An idea from permies I want to utilise when I have my own land.

    "He called it a "Comfrey Tractor", and it was basically a potted comfrey plant with holes drilled in the bottom of the pot. He would place it somewhere for
    a few weeks and water it. The roots would grow through the holes and into the ground. He would then twist the pot, breaking off the roots in the ground.
    Of course new plants would spring up from the roots left in the ground. Then it's on to the next spot."
     
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  16. How fast does this stuff grow?

    Sent from somewhere over there.
    No, not there...over THERE.
     
  17. Comfrey growth completely and entirely depends on how much care you put into the initial planting. If you plant into poor native soil like I have on my property then the comfrey will just survive. If you take the time and plant into rich soil, dig a nice deep hole and fill it with compost and a few choice amendments then it will grow like crazy.

    My main comfrey plants are planted across the street in my vegetable garden in prepared holes in the full sun. Lots of compost and generous mulchings and the growth is unstoppable. These plants grow approximately 4' wide and 3' to 4' tall, at which point I harvest them right down to ground level. Within a week they are a foot tall again - literally. Within another 3-4 weeks they are full size again and I am able to harvest 3-4 times a season this way.

    TJ, comfrey loves the full sun but yes, they do need plenty of moisture. I've found that with mucho OM in the ground to hold the moisture and then massive amounts of mulch that I never, ever have a problem and that by being in the full sun I'm not holding their growth rate back by being in partial shade - not that they won't do just fine in partial shade, too. Mulch is key.

    J
     
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  18.  
    I know one way to get rid of comfrey..
    This may sound a little extreme, but this is comfrey we are talking about haha.
     
    If you have access to pigs build a pen around the comfrey you want to remove and the swine will eat the plants and roust into the soil and eat the roots. They will keep eating any new sprouts that come up. Just leave them there until it's all gone.
     
    Good luck.
     
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  19. #19 Anatman, Oct 25, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2014
    I only have time to lurk anymore, but I'll def keep my eye on this thread. I preach the good word of comfrey/nettles/dandelions/aloe and growing your own fertilizer everywhere I go!
     
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Wn7sUltk74U
     
    edit: My source for comfrey (Southeast US)
     
    Great people, fast shipping, generous cuttings.
     
    Nantahala Farms
     
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  20. How much mass are yall harvestin a single mature plant?

    And yes, I'm talkin about comfrey.
     

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