Organic Russian Comfrey root cuttings available

WE are thinning out our Russian Comfrey plants that were planted almost 20 years ago, the root systems are very dense. Hopefully I can pull them apart without breaking them up too much. Asking $5 USD a pound for fresh-dug roots. Some of the root pieces are an inch thick or more, I'll pack up a mixture of all sizes from pencil-size on up.

A small USPS flat-rate box can hold about 3-4 lbs, shipping is $5.15.
Medium flat-rate box is $11.30 holding a max. of about 7 lbs.
Large flat-rate box is $17 shipping and can hold 12 lbs or so.

I am not sure what Bocking variety our comfrey is, more likely 14 but I could be wrong. I only know for sure it is Russian. Here is a pic of the foliage from last October before the hard frost: http://www.token.crwoodturner.com/dreamtime/comfrey/IMG_0948.JPG

Please PM me if you want to order. Thanks!

[UPDATE]
PRICE HAS CHANGED FROM 4 YEARS AGO. Please visit the last posts on this thread for current price.

I would like some.
Katherina111@yahoo.com

Hey permie friends, I just want to let everyone know wonderful Ken's comfrey is. I messaged him last November that I wanted some, but he said he wouldn't be digging it until this spring. True to his word, he remembered me and got in touch with me about it last month. I ordered 10 pounds, he shipped it immediately, and it is absolutely beautiful. Most root cuttings had crowns attached with new sprouts already starting to grow. The ones I planted out 4 days ago already have leaves on them! It was a pleasure to do business with you Ken! I am so thrilled to finally have comfrey in my garden. Thank you so much!
Raine Bradford

I'm overjoyed to hear such good news, thank you so much Raine! Glad to hear it worked out for you. I've shipped out about 40 lbs to my fellow permies so far. Our comfrey is just starting to send out spring shoots, now's the time to plant and we have much to thin out yet! The root balls are very dense and some of the roots are about 1 1/2" thick (35 mm) Every shipment is guaranteed to have at least one such thick root, at least 6 inches long.

Until today, I had not tried to pack up a small flat rate box and I could only stuff 1 1/2 lbs into one with some difficulty, but a flat rate padded envelope will take 2 lbs, maybe a bit more. The small box is a very poor choice for shipping roots, in my humble opinion. If there's any damage to a padded envelope shipment I'll cover any loss free of charge. The best roots are ones I don't have to break apart to fit in a small box so don't be afraid to order a medium or large flat rate box, I have lots of roots

I recieved mine in good shape and potted them. As soon as the ground thaws, I'll get them in.

I received mine as well. All were planted and some are already coming to life. Many, many thanks to your generosity Ken.

Namaste

Excellent! Glad to hear Thank you, Matt Chester and E Reimer.

I still have a lot to thin out, the comfrey is leafing out good now but can still be dug, shipped and transplanted. I will only dig to order and chill the dug plants overnight in the fridge before shipping.

Ken, only looking for 1 pound of your comfrey cuttings, pleease email me if still avalable, thank you
skrypek@live.com

Comfrey roots are still available, fresh dug.
PM me with the exact amount you want, or email me at kenearlg@gmail.com

Still have a few plants to thin out! Ths stuff is growing fast, we are clipping the greens and using for mulch in the garden and to feed the compost pile. Here's a pic I just took:
http://www.token.crwoodturner.com/dreamtime/comfrey/comfrey_spring_2013.png

You can transplant comfrey any time between early spring and late fall, long as you can dig the ground.

Got my cuttings today. They looked great and there were so many! How small do you cut them when you plant them? I've read of people cutting them as small as 1 cm.

Thanks!
Jeff

Small bits might sprout but I wouldn't break them up too much, the sprouts need something to feed on. Anything pencil-sized or smaller I'd leave whole and I wouldn't go less than 4" on thicker roots. Happy to hear you received them ok, thank you!

Some folks have asked if our comfrey was Bocking 4 or 14, and I have not had a definitive answer other than I know it's Russian Comfrey. If one of the varieties is more palatable to goats, then I must have it as this picture of one of our goats testifies:
http://www.token.crwoodturner.com/dreamtime/comfrey/goat_comfrey.png

Ken,

From how they look, and what I know, this is almost certainly Comfrey Russian Bocking 14..

"Comfrey has long been recognised 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 1910s) following trials at Bocking, near Braintree, the original home of the organization.[citation needed]"

If you are interested, this is the "Comfrey Bible".. Incredible work.

http://www.amazon.com/Comfrey-Present-Lawrence-D-Hills/dp/0571246710

Hope this is what you're looking for.

Another great Comfrey resource:

http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/comfrey/comfrey.PDF

Excellent book, I almost bought it from Amazon but found the ebook on Google books for half the price. And there's lots of useful info packed in that PDF, thanks for sharing Matt!

My pleasure Ken. But I must say, you are the man to thank. Most all my comfrey has risen, and all without irrigation of any kind (hasn't rained in I don't even know how long)... I will try to get some pictures up! Thanks!

Ken, do you have some available still?

Hi neo,

I think it's safe to say, I'll have lots of comfrey roots available all year until probably November unless I get a ton of orders! All of it in the ground, all orders are fulfilled with fresh-dug roots.
Thanks,

Ken

Just am finishing my PCD class and finally have time to research plants. Do you have any Coffey left. I would love to get some from you. Katherine

Hi Katherine,
Yup, I still have a ton left to dig. I can ship anywhere from 1 lb to about 12 lbs in one package. Here's a breakdown of USPS shipping costs for various amounts:

1 to 2 lbs in a padded 9 x 12 envelope: $6.00

3 to about 7 lbs in a medium flat rate box: $12.00

8 to about 12 lbs in a large flat rate box: $17.00

My price for fresh dug comfrey is $5.00 per lb.

Please PM me here or you can email me at <kenearlg@gmail.com>. Let me know how much you need, whether you can pay by Paypal or personal check, your shipping address and your Paypal-associated email address if applicable - then I can send you an invoice.

Thank you!

I've got some pieces from some pretty mature plants.. Will ship via letter
in the South/Southeast. Message me.

Does anyone sell any live comfrey roots with yellow flowers? I would like to buy some.

Ken Grunke wrote:Hi Katherine,
Yup, I still have a ton left to dig. I can ship anywhere from 1 lb to about 12 lbs in one package. Here's a breakdown of USPS shipping costs for various amounts:

1 to 2 lbs in a padded 9 x 12 envelope: $6.00

3 to about 7 lbs in a medium flat rate box: $12.00

8 to about 12 lbs in a large flat rate box: $17.00

My price for fresh dug comfrey is $5.00 per lb.

Please PM me here or you can email me at <kenearlg@gmail.com>. Let me know how much you need, whether you can pay by Paypal or personal check, your shipping address and your Paypal-associated email address if applicable - then I can send you an invoice.

Thank you!

Hi Ken, I"m interested in buying some once your ground thaws. I'm in NW Ohio - zone 6. Elissa

I sell 4 types of comfrey: Russian Comfrey Bocking #4, Russian Comfrey Bocking #14, True/Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), and wild blue-flowered comfrey. Also perennial sea kale, perennail bronze fennel. And organic kelp and azomite. www.nantahala-farm.com

If you have comfrey questions, I'm fairly knowlegeable about it....

Hi Nancy,
What's the difference in practice between Common comfrey and Russian ones? Near the river here there is a lot of common comfrey I assume - they grow in abundace there, majority of plants flowers are blue, some are white, it is all natural growing. I'm transplanting roots to my garden, so would planting Russian ones be beneficial in any sense?

From the research I have done and there is a lot of conflicting information about there:

True/Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) flowers are cream, pink, yellow, white or purplish. I have only seen the purple and pink.

Russian Comfrey Bocking #4 or #14 (Symphytum x uplandicum or Symphytum peregrinum) flowers are purple, magenta-pink, red, white or blue (that fade to pink) flowers. I have only seen the purple and white ones.

There are other varieties of comfrey with blue flowers. I have one I call "Wild Comfrey". I do not know its botanical name since I found it growing on my property.

If you have comfrey in colors other than these in a particular variety, please let me know.

Russian Comfrey is almost twice as large as True Comfrey. Russian Comfrey has sterile seeds. It is not invasive at all. True Comfrey seeds can make it somewhat invasive. Overall there are no big differences between any of the comfreys in terms of medicinal or feed value.

If you want a lot of biomass for feeding animals or making/activating compost, Russian Comfrey is better than True Comfrey. All are good.

Many thanks for your reply - I will try to find pictures I've made last year of comfreys that grow here and I will post them. I'm trying to use comfrey to improve my soil, also as mulch and in compost. Simce my land is sandy and well drained, I have a problem to keep comfreys alive in summer. But I have abundance of wild ones available nearby.

Here is a picture of wild comfrey that I harvest. Majority of plants have flowers like on a picture below, a few have white flowers though.

I would be very interested in some cuttings when they are available. Is anyone still selling these?

I will have roots available once I can start digging. Last year it was in the second week of May, this winter has been much harsher so I guess we will have to wait and see. I will have a few comfrey stands to thin out in our apple orchard that I haven't touched yet since I started selling roots here. They didn't look as robust as the ones I had started with (the easy pickins) but that's just because of their proximity to a lot of trees shading them. I'll post here again when I start digging. Thanks to all the kind folks I have dealt with over the last 1 1/2 yrs, it has been a fun activity

Ken. New here. I would like to buy some of your cuttings when they are available, intending to guild 3 cherry trees. Thank you!

Hi Donal, welcome to permies dot com

I've just started digging yesterday. It's been fairly rainy so the ground is saturated in some places but in some ways that makes it easier to pull out roots. I don't have a ton available so it will be first come, first serve until I run out of plants to thin.
Here is a pic I just took of a typical pound of fresh dug comfrey roots, you can get roughly 20 plants per pound. Assuming they all will sprout.
http://i.imgur.com/QNoEgsm.png

I also have Jerusalem Artichoke tubers available for planting at $3 per lb.

Both the comfrey and the JA tubers are organic, although our property is not certified. It hasn't seen one grain of chemical fertilizer or herbicide in at least 30 years, for as long as I've resided there.

Thanks for the response. It would be great to get 1 lb of each. Is that possible? I can do pay-pal. Shipping would be to Madison, WI. 53704.

Sure thing! I'll PM you.
Thanks!

I have lots of Russian comfrey roots left, still at $5 per lb. plus shipping!
If you specifically desire Bocking #4 I cannot be of help as again, I'm fairly certain I have #14.
This can be planted any time up until it has a few days to establish itself before the first hard frost.
Paypal is preferred, check is fine too.
Purple moosage me or email to kenearlg@gmail.com

I still have LOTS of comfrey roots. The plants are thriving in our rich, organic soil.

Also more good news, regarding shipping. I recently discovered Flat Rate Regional, and ordered a bunch of boxes from USPS. Just got them yesterday so can pass on the savings. Rates depend on location so will vary for the same size box, but you can typically save 30-40% over regular Flat Rate boxes. I have not worked out the costs for various sizes or orders, except I do know that a Flat Rate Regional Box A will take 4 lbs of roots for a cost of $8 to the east coast US. Before I had to put 4 lbs in a medium flat rate box for $12, as a small FR box could only take 2 lbs max. The new Regional boxes seem to fill in the gaps between the original FR boxes and be a better deal for most locations in the continental US. Since I'm in the Midwest, I don't expect the rates to vary too much but like I said, I haven't worked that out yet.

And some not-so good news: I am going to have to raise my price as my supply diminishes and the digging becomes more of a challenge. I will put that off until this coming autumn, most likely October. Not sure yet what it will be, but I see the same going for $10 per lb elsewhere. I am not going to make that drastic of price change this year. I do not want to eradicate what I have, but hope to make it a sustainable crop.

Thanks Ken!

Planted my 5 pounds of comfrey roots in the orchard this morning. Really good looking roots, should be a real benefit to the fruit trees.

Appreciate you efforts sir!

I LOVE this kind of feedback. Thank you, Adam!