I use loads of comfrey in most of my gardening projects - it's really all I need for most plant nutrition.

Yes - it can take root from the smallest of pieces of any comfrey plant material. You can not only make new plants from a quarter inch of root cuttings but also by sticking a piece of plant material in a cup of compost (cloning). This seems to work best from using stalks.

the sprouts you're seeing could very well have come from a piece of stalk. Maybe just don't bury it - it will wilt quickly and especially in the sun.

I add it fresh to a new compost heap (loads and loads of it) but only if I'm building a new thermophilic heap. The heat seems to prevent it from taking root. Laying leaves out to wilt is a good idea, although I don't all the time.

for best results and to get the biggest comfrey plants, take a little time and dig a nice deep hole and load it up with compost and a few basic soil amendments. It's really worth the effort when you see how much larger these plants will get over comfrey that has just been planted into native soil.

Ive never, ever had an issue using it around all vegetables. While it does contain some Nitrogen, it is really a well balanced (Dynamic Accumulator) plant.

Id love to discuss more. I'm a comfrey fanatic - the results speak for themselves.

j

Hi Harry. Yep - not much else stinks worse than a comfrey tea, huh? Lol

A really good (different) way is to make a comfrey syrup/concentrate. Take 2 buckets; one with a lid. Still some holes in the bottom of the first bucket and stuff it jam packed full of comfrey. Put the lid on and then slide it (not to the point of getting stuck) it into the second bucket.

over around 3-4 weeks the comfrey breaks down and drains into the bottom bucket. You can store this syrup in a glass jar in your cellar for a long time - and it doesn't smell. It takes water to make it smell. Just add a good dollop to your watering pail and you've got a great fertilizer tea. I went to my buddies last week and he showed me his big gallon jar of concentrate I made for him last year - half empty now but when I opened it, no foul smell.

Im a huge fan of comfrey. I use it everywhere.

J

Jerry, haven't tried making the syrup yet but I should give it a try. How much concentrate should I expect to get from a bucket stuffed full of chopped comfrey leaves?

I made a hot compost pile back in early Oct. and when I gave it it's first turning after 7-10 days, all the comfrey I had put in seemed to be completely gone - even the leaf stems. I must have added about 40 lbs. worth! Most of the tree leaves I put in were still very much intact.

Harry

Hi Harry.

"How much concentrate should I expect to get from a bucket stuffed full of chopped comfrey leaves?"

You will only get so much - remember its very concentrated. I usually get around a glass spaghetti sauce jar full out of a 5 gallon pail of comfrey leaves. It will store for a long time with no real smell down in your cellar in a dark area. When you use it you want to mix with water to the point where it looks like tea - iced tea color. Again, it's a concentrate.

yeah the comfrey will break down and virtually disappear in weeks in a compost heap - but all that goodness is still there.

j

Last spring I ordered root cuttings of both bocking 4 and 14 and due to a family illness, I was away from from home for several months. So, when the cuttings came, I took them with me and grew them in pots. After returning home, I didn't transplant the cuttings right away. When I finally did transplant them to their new homes, Many of the roots had escaped the pots and were snapped off when I moved the pots.

At the time, I was thrilled at the prospect of having more new plants and never gave any thought to which variety was where. So I guess my question is if there's any way to differentiate a bocking 4 plant from a bocking 14? Are there any noticeable differences? Will chickens only eat bocking 4 or will they sample 14 as well?