Identifying borage

[dominic10]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this query. I wonder if anyone can help? Just been looking at a flower/plant growing like a weed at our allotment site flowering with a small blue flower Asked someone and was told it was Alkanet not borage, borage having a larger more hairy leaf and the flowers being slightly larger. Researched Alkanet and found this info: Green Alkanet, Pentaglottis sempervirens, which is a member of the Borage family, Boraginaceae. I'm after finding borage to make a borage tea as a fertiliser is all. Could I do this with Alkanet leaves do you think? I've already got nettles and comfrey on the go and also collected some seaweed yesterday.

[alldigging]

Don't see why not if it looks close enough.

[rinabean]

I have been using green alkanet as a fertiliser this year and it appears to work. I don't grow comfrey so I can't compare the two. I didn't know people used borage in the same way, but if you can use borage you can definitely use green alkanet. I suspect it will be lower in potash, which is why comfrey is the preferred plant, but not drastically so.

At the end of the day, borage is borage is borage, right? Nettles work in the same way because they are another leafy deep-rooted plant which isn't even at all related, so green alkanet ought to work, too. I can tell you for certain it won't destroy your plants, at least!

[dominic10]

Thanks guys - I have collected some of the plant to use for a tea. I am very behind with planting out due to the weather and running out of space at home for plants so using some of my time to organise liquid manures, fertilisers etc. I collected some horse manure yesterday to soak in a tub I just got from a car boot.