Please talk about comfrey

9 years ago

I've been reading about the benefits of growing comfrey under and around my cherry trees but can't find it anywhere. Anyone know where one can find it in the OKC area? Is it best to find plants or do you direct seed it??
Any info would be appreciated. Patti

Featured Answer

Okiedawn OK Zone 7

9 years ago

Growing comfrey under fruit trees is a permaculture technique because the comfery is a bioaccumulator (especially nitrogen) that mines the deep soil for nutrients and brings them up into the root zone of the trees. You might have read about it on a permaculture website or in a permaculture book like Bill Mollison's or maybe Toby Hemenway's "Gaia's Garden". I grew my comfrey from seed. I think I bought the seed from Richter's. It was easy. Mine is in bloom right now. I use it as a chop and drop mulch or compost pile ingredient. Hack away almost all the leaves, drop them on the compost pile or use as mulch right in a garden bed, and let them decompose and release the accumulated nutrients into the soil. A lot of people like Bocking 14 Comfrey because it is reproduced only via cuttings since it is sterile. I like the common comfrey because it makes me new plants constantly via both seed and crawling, sprawling runner type roots, and I have plenty of room for new plants. If you're coming to the Spring Fling I can bring you comfrey plants.

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Comments (8)

chickencoupe
9 years ago
Patti, I have brand new comfrey sprouts from root cuttings that need, maybe, another month before being planted. I am in Cushing. You are welcome to a couple of mine if you are in this area and cannot make it to the spring fling.

bon
Patti Johnston thanked chickencoupe
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chickencoupe
9 years ago
What am I talking about? This is comfrey. They could be planted right now if kept moist. lolz I can't wait to get all these in. Good stuff.
Patti Johnston thanked chickencoupe
Nancy RW (zone 7)
9 years ago
Gotta get me some comfrey! I just saw it on a video my sister-in-law sent to me about the time you all began discussing it. I'm going to order some right away.
Patti Johnston thanked Nancy RW (zone 7)
luvncannin
9 years ago
I dont think mine came back. This year I am making tags and dipping them in cayenne to keep oreos from stealing them.
Patti Johnston thanked luvncannin
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
9 years ago
Nancy, If you're coming to the Spring Fling, don't buy comfrey because you can get it free there.

Kim, If you need more, let me know and I'll bring some to the SF. I'm surprised yours didn't come back. Mine stays green almost all winter, although that 4 degree night in January froze it back to the ground. It rebounded and resprouted pretty quickly. I have it in both the front and back gardens. In the front garden it is waging a fairly successful war to move into the asparagus bed. I keep digging it out and it keeps creeping in. I may have to dig down deeply along the edge of the raised asparagus bed and sink a metal barrier in there to succeed in keeping it from taking over the asparagus bed. There's not much that can outcompete asparagus, but I think comfrey might be able to do so.

Oreo is so mischevious.

Dawn
Patti Johnston thanked Okiedawn OK Zone 7
Macmex
9 years ago
I had comfrey on the western end of my main garden (farthest from the entrance) and it died out, I believe, due to heat and lack of water. A friend gave me a start and I planted it on the eastern end, right where I usually grow more water loving crops. There it received more irrigation. It has prospered. I can't be totally sure that this is why. But that's my theory.

George
Patti Johnston thanked Macmex
chickencoupe
9 years ago
Thanks for posting that, George. I'm hard pressed to figure where I'll plant these new sprouts. I was wondering about placement in drought-prone areas of the yard. When I dug the parent plant, I saw it had a root that was rotted, but not all. The parent plant is in an erosion-prone area with unamended clay. It grows, but not real fast even after the first year. Zero volunteers. Perhaps a drainage check before placing these sprouts would be in order.

I'm going to put in some siberian pea shrubs, good nitrogen fixers too. I'm thinking that parent comfrey plant is showing me a great place for underwater retention with the pea shrubs.