Ease of Raising:
|
3/5 – Bi-weekly check-ups
|
Water:
|
2/5 – Minimal, twice per week (especially in a container)
|
Sun:
|
4/5 – Full sun, shade tolerant
|
Training:
|
1/5 – Minimal (harvesting keeps plant in shape)
|
Fertilise/Feeding:
|
1/5 – Minimal, at least during the growing season
|
Time to Harvest:
|
1/5 – Immediate (purchased a seedling) to Soon (from seed)
|
Frost Hardiness:
|
3/4 – Tender (can’t take mild frost)
|
Uses:
|
Medicinal, Pollinator attractor & Compost
|
Most Problematic
Nemesis:
|
Some caterpillar feeding
|
Container Plant:
|
Yes definitely
|
+Kurt+Stober+Online+Library.jpg) |
| Comfrey Symphytum officinale Flora of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (1885) Kurt Stober Online Library |
Quick intro
Comfrey is known for its healing properties and is currently
also used as compost addition or as a liquid fertiliser, which is prepared from the
leaves. Even though it has wonderful medicinal and composting properties, the
plant may be considered as a weed by many.
History
Comfrey is native to Europe, especially Ireland and Britain,
and temperate parts of Asia. It has been cultivated since 400BC due to its
unrivalled potential for healing external wounds and broken bones, hence
receiving its namesake ‘Knitbone’ or ‘Boneset’.
Comfrey was favoured amongst the Greek physicians, especially during
times of war. Today comfrey is also grown in North America and it roots
and leaves are still used for medicinal purposes.
Science Stuff
Comfrey
belongs to the Boraginaceae family of herbs, the Forget-me-not family. This
family mainly contains herbs with hairy leaves, including Borage, Fiddelenck,
Forget-me-not, Alkanet, Lungwort and Bugloss.
There are two main species, wild or common comfrey (Symphytum offinale) and rough or prickly
comfrey (Symphytum asperum). A hybrid
variety exists as well between S.
offinale and S. asperum, known as
Russian comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum).
Comfrey is used both internally and externally, but it is
unadvised to use internally, as comfrey contains the toxin symphytine
(Pyrrolzidine alkaloid), which
causes liver damage and may be carcinogenic.
Comfrey
leaves and roots are used to make extracts for extrernal use. These
extracts contain allantoin, which stimulates the growth of new cells,
rosemarinic acid, which is an anti-inflammaroty and mucilage, which soothes inflamed
tissues. Roots contain twice the amount of allantoin than leaves. Comfrey is generally
used as a cream and applied to affected areas that includes wounds, broken bones
and is frequently used as a skin product.
Growing Comfrey
Leaves are main part of the comfrey plant used in the vegetable garden. Therefore it requires a fair amount of nitrogen to encourage good leaf
production and will do well when fertilized with nitrogen-based mulch, such as animal
manure or lawn cuttings.
Comfrey is difficult to grow from seed, as germination takes
long (20 weeks) and is erratic. New plants can be successfully propagated from
root cuttings. It is also advisable to grow comfrey in a container as it has a
deep root system, making the plant nearly impossible to remove from the garden
as new plants regrow from any root stumps left in the soil. Keep comfrey
well-watered during the growing season if you plan to harvest leaves from it.
.JPG) |
| Russian Comfrey Symphytumn x uplandicum |
Pruning
Essentially no pruning is required, since regular harvesting
keeps the monster in shape J.
Other Tips
Comfrey, specifically Russian comfrey, as a compost addition
or liquid fertiliser is highly recommended when you have a vegetable patch. It
is high in nitrogen (hence proteins), phosphorus and potassium (Good NPK values J).
For detailed NPK quantities of comfrey refer to Composting. If your comfrey is
in the garden (and you tend to keep it there) then your comfrey will tap into
deep nutrient reserves in the soil that can be recovered in the leaves.
Here are a few ways comfrey is used as a compost/feed addition:
Here are a few ways comfrey is used as a compost/feed addition:
ü Compost activator – add to compost composed mainly of dry brown material. Layers of comfrey between the brown matter will heat the compost heap and assist with decomposition. Do not add too much comfrey as the comfrey will break down instead of assisting the decomposition of the heap.
ü Comfrey mulch – a 5cm layer (2 inches) of fresh
leaves around the stems of plant will break down slowly and release nutrient to
the soil without removing nitrogen whilst decomposing (such as straw and
leaves). It is good for just about any vegetable or fruit, but can be useful
addition to nutrient guzzlers such as fruiting plants (tomatoes & fruit trees)
and root vegetables (potatoes).
ü Liquid feed – There are two ways to make liquid
comfrey feed or comfrey tea. One is really smelly (the reason why I switched to
the other) and the other is not.
o
Smelly: Simply cut the leaves into small pieces
and add to a bottle or bucket of water and seal. After about 1-3 months,
depending on the amount of leaves, you will have nasty smelling liquid feed. It
works wonders, but the smell is terrible. It smells bad due to the anaerobic
(no oxygen) decomposition of the comfrey in the water. Dilute this in a ratio
of 1:10, 1 part of comfrey liquid to 10 parts water.
o
Not smelly: Place comfrey leaves in a plastic
container with holes in the base. Weigh it down with a stone or brick. Place
this container (with holes) in a second container. The second container can be
lined with a plastic bag if you intend to re-use it for another purpose. Place
a lid on this to prevent flies from making a breeding ground in there. As the
comfrey decomposes it produces an odourless black syrup that drips to the
bottom container. (Alternatively you can use one bucket with a hole and the
comfrey placed on top of another. Comfrey will then drip into the bottom bucket
for collection.) The comfrey liquid is a concentrate and therefore requires
dilution before use. It is also diluted in a 1:10 ratio (1 part liquid comfrey to 10
parts water).
Liquid comfrey can be used on tomatoes or similar crops three
times a week and potted plants once a week. The tea can be stored in glass jars
in a cool dark place until further use.
Harvesting &
Storing
Comfrey leaves can be harvested up to 5 times a year during
the spring to summer months. Leaves are harvested once they are 30-60cm high (~
1-2 feet).
Comfrey leaves can be dried, but they are brittle. Thus it
is preferable to use comfrey leaves when they are fresh.
Seed Saving &
Propagation
Russian comfrey (S. x
uplandicum) produces clusters of pink, purple or blue flowers in summer.
Common comfrey (S. officinale)
produces white or pink flowers and is likely insect pollinated.
.JPG) |
| Russian Comfrey Flowers Symphytum x uplandicum |
Russian comfrey is preferred in the garden as it is sterile
and does not self-seed yet bares the same nutrient-rich foliage properties of S. officinale.
Since comfrey is difficult to raise from seeds, root cuttings
are used.
My Comfrey
I have the Russian comfrey. Originally one comfrey, which
self-propagated from a leaf cutting if I remember correctly J.
Very prickly, wear gloves if your skin gets irritated when you handle the
leaves.
+2.JPG) |
| Russian Comfrey Symphytum x uplandicum |
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