Comfrey roots

[Dorothy rouse]

Well some Comfrey roots have arrived today, they look like black mushroom stalks, can I just pop them in little pots till they grow or sprout or do something? Then put them in ground?

Also, is it best to plant them all together, wonder how far they will spread if they grow? Do I need to contain it?

Thanks

[Kristen]

I put mine in pots and grew them on a bit as I didn't think they would come to anything otherwise.

In fact they are tough and would probably do just fine chucked in the ground - but I suspect "properly looked after" in pots gives you more guarantee of getting 100% "take".

They grow into a "clump". I would say I have mine about 2' apart.

[Two_Sheds]

and make sure you're dead sure where you want them, forever, because every little scrap will turn into a new clump.

My clumps are spreading because my neighbour keeps rotavating near our border, so in effect he's taking root cuttings every time he cuts into my comfrey clumps.

[WPG]

I think spacing partly depends on the quality of the soil Dorothy - the Garden Organic factsheet says 2-3 foot apart on good soil, but reduced to 1-2 foot apart on poor soil. I put mine about 3 foot apart, and they really do bush outwards and upwards in the extra space.

When I bought my root offsets, I think I just planted them straight into the ground, rather than potting - I bought 14 root offsets and they all took. Then, the advice was not to cut them in the first season.

Try not to put them where they could shade other plants or too close to a path, as they do bush out a lot.

[kathycam]

I'd put them straight in as well, unless your space isn't ready, in which case its fine to put them into pots for a while.

[Dorothy rouse]

Have put them I little pots, to be honest, I'd be very surprised if they all grow,and I do have to decide where best to put them, my plot is not that big, so thinking, an area near my mini fruit trees?,currently has potatoes in, it also has some tree stumps,so that might be good place.

Thanks all.

[Kristen]

I'd be very surprised if they all grow

I thought that with the original half-dozen roots I got. They looked "nothing". Potted them up, on one occasion, after they had sprouted, I forgot about them on my watering cycle and after a while when I remembered they looked pretty much dead - but all of them recovered and were subsequently planted out.