Comfrey (Bocking): Two questions

Hello everyone.  

1.  Lets say I have two comfrey plants in my yard -- one Bocking 4, the other Bocking 14.  How can I tell which is which, or are they visually identical?

2.  How late in the year can Bocking cuttings be planted?  I dug up and divided a 3-year old Bocking 14 (I think!) on 25 September.  16 crown cuttings, 30-something root cuttings.  All were planted 26 September.  Today, almost a month later, 15 of the 16 crown cuttings took hold, all 15 with multiple 3" to 6" leaves, happy plants.  Conversely, exactly *zero* root cuttings show any evidence of life, not a single leaf yet.  I'm in Zone 7, no frost yet, I'm expecting first frost in about two weeks.

Thanks,
G

I can't help with your first question, however whenever I have taken root cuttings of comfrey in autumn, they remain dormant until spring. Comfrey dies back completely over winter in our climate. If you put the root cuttings in a pot and leave the pot where you want the new comfrey plant, the roots will grow into the ground and you can saw off the bottom of the pot and the repeat the process again.

Gary Numan wrote:Hello everyone.  

1.  Lets say I have two comfrey plants in my yard -- one Bocking 4, the other Bocking 14.  How can I tell which is which, or are they visually identical?

Here's another Permies thread that discussed the same question and may help you -> https://permies.com/t/136239/Comfrey-Bocking-Bocking-differentiate

2.  How late in the year can Bocking cuttings be planted?  I dug up and divided a 3-year old Bocking 14 (I think!) on 25 September.  16 crown cuttings, 30-something root cuttings.  All were planted 26 September.  Today, almost a month later, 15 of the 16 crown cuttings took hold, all 15 with multiple 3" to 6" leaves, happy plants.  Conversely, exactly *zero* root cuttings show any evidence of life, not a single leaf yet.  I'm in Zone 7, no frost yet, I'm expecting first frost in about two weeks.

I have mostly Bocking hybrids, and do my transplanting in the autumn before they go dormant (so I can tell where they are!) Like you, I've had better luck transplanting crowns, but would say don't give up on the roots. They take longer to establish and may not sprout leaves until next spring. Just make sure they get plenty of water.

Thanks for the info, helpful.

Five weeks later, still no sign of life from the planted root cuttings.  I'll update later (hopefully soon!) if they do indeed start popping up.

Otherwise, I'll update this thread next Spring.  If I remember.