Comfrey disease/deficiency etc.

Hi all, just wondering if anyone can advise me on a condition that my comfrey has. I bought a couple of plants online in march but because we were in lockdown I didn't get them till May and they were nearly dead. I managed to revive them and they have been steadily growing ever since but the leaves turn brownish and papery. I'm sure it's not underwatering because I water them generously once a day and I wouldn't've thought it would be overwatering because in my growing bible it says comfrey requires high amounts of water (I live in southern Spain, where the spring is wet and green but the summer is hot and very dry). The comfrey is in a decent-sized pot because I'm going to be moving soon and I want to take it with me. Anyone able to offer any advice?

Nick,

They look like they have a nitrogen deficiency to me but I have never heard of such a thing in comfrey before.  But if these are just getting started, maybe they need a little boost.

With that in mind I would look for some nitrogenous organic fertilizer.  Personally I like blood meal as it is high in nitrogen, works quickly and lasts reasonably long.  Is It your plan to transplant those comfrey plants?

Eric

Hi Eric, thanks for the advice. I too have never heard of nitrogen deficiency in comfrey. But I forgot to mention in my question that I do feed it a small amount when I water. I didn't want to give it too much to begin with because they were in such a bad condition when they arrived. Yes I will be transporting them when I move in a couple of months. I've been scouring books and websites for diseases/pests in comfrey but I can't find anything at all so I'm pretty much veering towards some sort of deficiency so I'll definitely bear your advice in mind.

Nick,

Another organic fertilizer worth considering is bone meal which is rich in phosphorus.  I used to use bone and blood meal together to fertilize tomatoes.  Today I have sworn off commercially purchased fertilizer, but if you don’t have nutrients in that pot, they need to get there somehow.  

I strongly suspect that once planted in the ground that the plant will perk right up.

Very strange though—I have never seen a comfrey plant do that.  To my eyes it does not look like a disease—I would expect holes or blemishes—but rather is evenly yellow.  Very strange.  

How much do you water?  I would keep comfrey just moist and no more.  Perhaps it is getting too much water?  Sometimes excessive watering can cause yellow leaves.  I found out that hard way that a young, un-established comfrey can drown easy (I got over 12 inches of rain in about 4 days!).  I will check on my old pictures to see what they looked like.

Eric

Ok, just checked!

My comfrey plants were sitting in standing water and were still green.  That being said, I planted them in fertile holes filled with bat guano dosed up with blood meal—a ridiculous amount of nitrogen.  So maybe nitrogen is the culprit.  I say give it a try.

Eric

I am wondering if maybe it is a potassium deficiency. Veins are still green, but leaves between the veins are yellow.

Artie,

Great observation!  

Nick, two options for potassium are green sand and if you are ok with it, urine.

Actually, there are a number of Plantone fertilizers that might help out.  They are organic, long acting fertilizers and probably one application will be sufficient.

Forget what I said about nitrogen, I agree with Artie and suggest a balanced fertilizer.

Eric

I wouldn't water them every day.

Nick,

I did a quick look at Plantone fertilizer.  They are all organic, I have used them in the past and liked them.

There are two versions that you might like.

#1. The original Plantone is a general garden fertilizer (comes in a brown bag).  The NKP rating is 5-3-3.  I have found this is a general all-round fertilizer, is easy to start with and generally covers a wide range of fertilization needs.  It is hard to go wrong with this one.

#2).  The second one I would recommend is Garden tone.  This comes in a green bag.  It is slightly optimized for fruit settings (by fruit, think tomatoes).  It’s NPK rating is 3-4-4.  It has not so much Nitrogen but a bit more Potassium and Phosphorus.  Considering that Potassium deficiency is a possible culprit, this might be a good option.

Realistically, either one is going to be a very balanced, well rounded fertilizer and should rapidly clear up any nutrient deficiency quickly.  Better yet, most of the nutrients are in a long release version so an application should last.

Food for thought,

Eric

Thanks guys for all of that. Eric I decided to put them in the ground even if for only a couple of months. The compost in the pot smelled a bit rancid so I'm thinking that the pot wasn't draining well and being in the sun it was festering in the pot. So they're now in the ground and I'll see if they perk up. I'll post a foto in a few days if there's been a change. Thanks.

Nick,

Thanks for the update.  I suspect that if you had a rancid smell then you might have had to much water.  But I also think that putting the comfrey in the ground will give the comfrey access to more minerals and overall the mineral/water issue will work itself out.  I see good things coming from that comfrey despite a bumpy start.

Nice going,

Eric