the value of comfrey

Mike Haych wrote:I would agree that the dandelion/comfrey is not a good comparison. Not sure why you made it....

Since you want to purse the dandelion angle, check the data for the dandelion plant.

It was one of the plants you listed. The whole plant has higher ppm but, again, comfrey is so much larger & you get 4 cuts per year it's silly to compare.

One of our cows got very sick with calcium deficiency recently and the vets here don't have the food supplement, they just offer to come and give regular injections. So I'm very interested in this calcium accumulator question. We give the cows our ground up eggshells, but that's evidently not enough.

In comparing various plants' ability to accumulate calcium, doesn't a lot depend on the availability of calcium in the soil the plants are growing in? The main source of fodder currently is fresh alfalfa, and poplar leaves. We've got pigweed (weedy amaranth) and other weeds in our gardens to feed the cow at this point, but is it really true that pigweed in the same garden will have much more calcium than, say, lambsquarters and malva neglecta? Sorry, we don't have comfrey at all in this region.

Thanks

Rebecca Norman wrote:... is it really true that pigweed in the same garden will have much more calcium than, say, lambsquarters and malva neglecta?

That was a question of mine about that chart. I was wondering if it was all part of one study and if the plants were all grown the same way by the same person in the same plot! So many variables!

Where is the calcium for the eggs coming from? I just did a google search for calcium lock out due to pH and the whole page is totally weed questions - grown hyrdroponically! This might be the type of question for someone from the Ag dept or local university if there's someone like that near you.

I was planning to plant some Comfrey underneath my Red Bud trees. I know that these trees are Nitrogen fixing legumes. I would like to hear some thoughts about this before I plant. I think that it will not only look nice but the two plants would be mutually beneficial.
-tfrankeberger

Cj Verde wrote:Where is the calcium for the eggs coming from? I just did a google search for calcium lock out due to pH and the whole page is totally weed questions - grown hyrdroponically! This might be the type of question for someone from the Ag dept or local university if there's someone like that near you.

Oops, the eggs are from the market so the calcium is from outside. When we get a dog proof chicken yard and house ready we'll get our own chickens, but there are so many other building projects too.

Thank you for the tip on what to search google for, "calcium lock-out" and pH.

I don't know if the calcium is being locked out, it was just a thought. Also, If anything is going to be able to bring up calcium I'd think it would be trees which you're already feeding. I think you might need to see what other locals are doing if they have this problem -and report back!

The dwarf comfreys seem to be another species, not the Russian deep-rooted type. Does anyone know or have anyone grown a few of each? There are two variegated varieties, too. I think i understood that the dwarfs are runners, so have much more shallow roots. This, too, may have it's place. But, curious as to what others experienced.
BTW, is there a vegan or nutrition forum here ?

Troy McCoy wrote:Horizon Herbs offers Bocking 14 roots for a good price. They have a few different quantities, but here is a link for 20 live roots (could probably be divided even further, knowing comfrey's ambitious nature):
http://www.horizonherbs.com/product.asp?specific=1606

-Troy
http://pittsburghpermaculture.org

That's actually a great price. Judging by the pics they don't look to be root cuttings so much as they are crowns. I bought 2 year crowns from Coe's, great guy to work with, and they ran $50 for 10, and he threw in 7 or so root cuttings for free. Put in last November so I'm looking forward to seeing them take off come spring.

Hey guys - my most recent blog post is on using comfrey as a skin soother. There's a recipe for making Comfrey Cubes, which are the best things in the world for sunburns. Thought you'd like this one: http://www.nwedible.com/sunburn-soothing-comfrey/

Erica Strauss wrote:Hey guys - my most recent blog post is on using comfrey as a skin soother. There's a recipe for making Comfrey Cubes, which are the best things in the world for sunburns. Thought you'd like this one: http://www.nwedible.com/sunburn-soothing-comfrey/

Thanks for this article Erica!
and love the light jab to us permies lol
I have run across your blog a few times and always good info. I have used comfrey many times on different ailments but never thought to freeze it for use later.
Great idea

Just some feedback from a crude planting experiment I did last year.

I divided a crown and made root cuttings averaging about 3 inches long. I direct planted these in a number of places - sometimes directly through sod - and mostly just by a simply slitting the soil with a spade, dropping the rooted piece in, pressing it down iwth my heel and walking away. I didn't water, but the ground was reasonably moist. I wanted to see how lazy I could be getting these established.

This year I think about 40% of them established - overwhelmingly these were the roots stuck where there was some kind of mulch in place (mostly wood chip) and less competition from grass.

More recently still I divided a crown and stuck root pieces in pots with potting mix and gave them an initial watering before leaving them out in the garden. With these I had 100% success rate, and every transplant I have made has taken well.

My impression is that while comfrey has a reputation for growing from even a snippet of root, it does benefit from come care and attention when getting it established.

I took this photo this morning.  What happened was I have a Jujube tree in its third year in the ground that has been struggling until this year, when it finally put on some nice growth.  There was a large vigorous comfrey plant next to it this summer that was starting to shade out some of its lower foliage, so I whacked it all down about a week ago and used it to mulch around a young fig tree nearby.  At the same time I also put my hose by the Jujube tree and gave it a long deep watering.  

So this morning I wandered out that way and saw that the comfrey had put out new growth about four inches long, which was being given the complete salad bar treatment by a turtle so happy (to find all that lush new wet growth in what is otherwise a very dry late-summer landscape)  that he wouldn't even go back into his shell at my approach.  Instead he gave me the territorial evil-eye as you can see in the photo.  

Obligatory on-topic "value of comfrey" comment: it attracts turtles!  

I posted same picture to my FaceBook with the comment "If this turtle could Yelp, I believe I would be getting a good review for the Organic Comfrey Buffet at 101 Jujube Tree Place."

Steve Nicolini wrote:How long did it usually take you to gather the slugs and drown them?  Do slugs benefit a farm in any way other than feed for ducks?

Who here has eaten comfrey?

I've taken comfrey tea, occasionally. It is very comforting with a good dab of honey, and a finger or two of whiskey on cold nights. Eating comfrey raw, I can't see that happening: It has hairs on the leaves that might irritate your mouth. Cooked, then? I have not tried, but a meal of it as a vegetable once in a while should not be a problem. As usual, when we think about potential damage to the kidneys etc, DOSAGE is what should be considered. Alcohol is even good for you in small doses, like an occasional glass. A bottle of booze a night is probably not that great for your health either!
I use it as mulch [it decomposes amazingly quickly and kills weeds if thick enough] and on the side, as fodder to my chicken:[It disappears very quickly too]
Here too, remember that variety is the spice of life, and I would not raise my chickens on comfrey only. Every day, I give them scraps of a lot of things, including the occasional road kills, grain, hay... They should have variety every day.

Hello my name is Gilbert Brandt is there anyone interested in russian blocking 14 root cuttings for 75 cents a piece. I also have root crowns starting a $5 dollars if interested you can contact me here are at gilbertbrandt28@gmail.com thank you.

gilbert Brandt wrote:Hello my name is Gilbert Brandt is there anyone interested in russian blocking 14 root cuttings for 75 cents a piece. I also have root crowns starting a $5 dollars if interested you can contact me here are at gilbertbrandt28@gmail.com thank you.

Hello Gilbert, just FYI, you should also post this in the Blatant Advertising forum...  https://permies.com/f/149/blatant-advertising

Good luck!

Michael Cox wrote:Just some feedback from a crude planting experiment I did last year.

I divided a crown and made root cuttings averaging about 3 inches long. I direct planted these in a number of places - sometimes directly through sod - and mostly just by a simply slitting the soil with a spade, dropping the rooted piece in, pressing it down iwth my heel and walking away. I didn't water, but the ground was reasonably moist.  I wanted to see how lazy I could be getting these established.

This year I think about 40% of them established - overwhelmingly these were the roots stuck where there was some kind of mulch in place (mostly wood chip) and less competition from grass.

More recently still I divided a crown and stuck root pieces in pots with potting mix and gave them an initial watering before leaving them out in the garden. With these I had 100% success rate, and every transplant I have made has taken well.

My impression is that while comfrey has a reputation for growing from even a snippet of root, it does benefit from come care and attention when getting it established.

I just rediscovered this comment from 2 years ago and it is due a revision. It turns out that my success rate with this lazy-planting strategy for comfrey roots is more like 80%. Plants that did very little beyond make a single leaf last year and much stronger this year. I've got more crowns that are ready to divide as well, and more fence line that could benefit from it. Ultimately I'd like to see if comfrey can displace stinging nettles along the fences where the mower can't quite cut.

Leah Sattler wrote:wow! sue thanks. I am going to have use comfrey slug traps protect my garden (especially my cabbage) next year! the beer traps were pretty pathetic and a pain to maintain.

Stop drinking the beer. Job done!

Another comfrey lover here. Our whole family has actually eaten, battered and deep-fried, and lived to tell the tale.  Just eat it in moderation. Tastes like a lot of other deep-fried food. We also use it medicinally, externally. I've a friend who frequently incurs sprains to various extremities (she claims it's because she's a dancer) and she swears by the efficacy of a comfrey poultice. It was called knitbone for a reason. I know lots of other great uses have been mentioned, but I don't think anybody's really highlighted how much pollinators love comfrey. And it just keeps blooming and blooming, falling over, blooming some more. How excellent is comfrey?

Hi my name is gilbert brandt and I will soon be digging russian blocking 14. I have been raising comfrey for over 10 years I will have root crowns that are 1,2,3,4,5, and 6 year root crowns and root cuttings. Call 319-283-1495 or email gilbertbrandt28@gmail.com thank you.

Seeds are a cost-effective way to get comfrey, especially if you don't happen to know someone getting rid of roots, or want to have more plants than you can afford to order as roots. https://www.quailseeds.com/store/p316/True-Breeding_Comfrey_Seeds.html#/
Also, the classic herbals were working with the species, not a modern hybrid. It is surprisingly easy to grow from seed. If you want to keep it within set bounds, I recommend planting at the edge of an area that gets mowed. It may or may not be a grass barrier, but regular mowing is a comfrey barrier.

Jordan Lowery wrote:i love comfrey

BEES also love comfrey. They go nuts around the flowers.

Hey, bumping an old thread. My new neighbours have a few plants that I think are comfrey but they don't know.

The former owner had notions of being a permaculturist so it fits (though she was trying to import Oregon techniques into Zone 3 Canadian Prairies, and seemed uninterested in the native fruit and nut trees and wild edibles growing all around).

Anyway, if they are willing to give me one established plant, it sounds like I could cut in in quarters or sixths to propagate. Does that sound right?

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Anyway, if they are willing to give me one established plant, it sounds like I could cut in in quarters or sixths to propagate. Does that sound right?

Yeah, that sounds about right.  A sizeable comfrey crown could easily be divided that way, plus any finger-thick roots can be cut into chunks a few inches long, and each of those will likely sprout a new plant given the chance.

Or if you are a patient man, just plant the comfrey as it is in a spot that suits it.  After a few years, it will be branching out on its own and throwing up new plants from its roots.  Not to mention that, if you have a comfrey varietal that makes fertile seeds, it will likely start spreading further afield that way.

In my experience, comfrey is hard to stop.  It doesn't like the hottest weather I get here in the South, but it bounces right back as soon as the temps drop a little in the Fall.  About the only things I've seen that can stop comfrey - or at least knock it back some, if not completely stop it - is heavy shade and being over-browsed by deer, which have a real taste for it.

Maybe I should rethink this. I'm hoping this is the sterile-seed variety but there's no way to know. I have no intention of introducing anything that is potentially invasive. I have been at war with European stinging nettle for 10 years.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:Maybe I should rethink this. I'm hoping this is the sterile-seed variety but there's no way to know. I have no intention of introducing anything that is potentially invasive. I have been at war with European stinging nettle for 10 years.

Hahah, I am currently trying to establish European stinging nettle as a food crop!

I grow the sterile variety of comfrey - Russian Bocking 14 - and it is indeed more well-behaved.  But if it is happy, it will still spread through its roots.  It's spread will just be more localized to nearby wherever you planted the original.

It's a lovely plant useful to have on hand.  Bees love it.  I would recommend for use as an ornamental, a mulch plant, a medicinal herb, or as animal feed.  But I might go to the extra expense of buying some starter crowns to be sure you know what variety you're getting.  From all I've read, I don't think I'd want to tangle with the fertile varieties.

Here is an idea if you wanted a large amount of comfrey in several parts of your property on the cheap...  Buy just a crown or two of a known, desired variety.  Grow those out for a year until well established.  After it goes dormant, rototill the whole area.  Dig up and spread the tilled earth on the other areas where you'd like comfrey, thus inoculating those areas with root fragments.  Give a little mulch and a little water to start, and I would bet that in another year you'd have a dozen new comfrey colonies for the price of one.

This might not be as valuable to you, as you might not know the specific cultivar, but I have noticed my Bocking-4 in its second year has developed lateral roots which turned into new plants. My Bocking-14 is on its third year and has not spread at all.

Just an observation.

Matthew Nistico wrote:Hahah, I am currently trying to establish European stinging nettle as a food crop!I

Be careful what you wish for. Those tiny seeds will spread EVERYWHERE and they are viable for 10 years.

You many need a whip and chair to control these beasties!

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:

Matthew Nistico wrote:Hahah, I am currently trying to establish European stinging nettle as a food crop!I

Be careful what you wish for. Those tiny seeds will spread EVERYWHERE and they are viable for 10 years.  You many need a whip and chair to control these beasties!

Oh I do hope so.  I am trying to start them in a particular spot where I have otherwise failed to get any crops to establish.  On paper it isn't a bad spot - decent sun exposure, decent soil, though it tends to dry out - yet I've had no successes.  So I figured this is a job for an aggressive weed!

Jesse Glessner wrote:
IF you want great results with planting crowns of plants, root stock, or slips try using an product called ferti*lome Rooting Powder.
I have had good results with the powder. You just wet whatever stock your going to pot or plant, swirl that in the container of ferti*lome, shake off the excess, and pot or plant as usual. The last jar of this I bought was $5.00 at a Nursery shop.

I had to add another "rooting" method that I ran across recently and am trying with my seeds and root stock.

It is called "Willow Water" so make sure and find that on the Internet because there are different methods of making this water.

Essentially it is cutting a few Willow Tree branches, specifically the "new growth ends" and stripping the leaves then chopping the thin limbs to 1" to 1.5". And this is where the different methods of producing the Willow Water diverge. I took the short-cut method to put the chopped limbs into a larger pot then pour boiling water over them. DO NOT BOIL THE CHOPPED PIECES!! Just pour the boiling water over the items then put a lid on and let the pot sit for 24 hours. You then can strain the water off of the chopped pieces and THAT IS YOUR WILLOW WATER.

Other methods take much longer and no boiling water used.
Check out the Willow Water articles on the Internet though for your own edification.

Hm! I'm currently sprouting pussy willow trees so I have a small pail of water full of rooting hormone ready to go!

As for the remaining portion of the original plant, I plan to cut it several times this year.  I normally
make an early cutting to give fertility to the seed potatoes when I plant them.

Hi Kate,
I know this post was written long ago but if you are still out there, I wonder, do you just put the comfrey
leaves around your potato plants? Or do you get them cut up in small pieces or do you make compost tea
from them?
I want to do the same with my comfrey leaves now but I wonder which method is the most effective.
Any idea?
Thanks in advance!