Comfrey (NOT Bocking 14) - how to ensure it does not self seed or spread when in use?

[Russel Sprout]

Thanks again Jay-ell.

@Dynamite. I actually got mine through Freecycle/Freegle. Are you a member of either/both? If so it might be worth a go and you might struck luck like I did. I asked for Bocking 14 and an exceptionally kind and helpful woman dug up one of her plants and made around 25 offcuts from it... I have no direct experience, but from what I have read wild comfrey will spread like billy-o and take over the garden.

[alldigging]

I actually want some that does spread. I bought some blocking 14 seeds of which only one germinated out of the full pack and so obviously have only one plant now which is about two inch tall and next to useless for why I want some Comfrey.

I wish somebody would drop a load of plants off for me, seeding or non seeding. I would rather have the problem of digging them up if they spread than having none at all!

Regards Rob

Where do you live?

[Baldy]

So - just to get this straight - Common comfrey spreads from seeds like billy-oh but is hopefully not too common on allotments these days.
Bocking 14 doesn't set viable seeds - so if you've bought Bocking 14 in seed form you have been diddled.
If your Bocking 14 seeds do germinate then you were diddled because what you bought was common comfrey.
Finally - anyone tried Bocking 4 ?
Russian Comfrey Root Bocking #4: Buy live roots for planting. Organic.

[Jay-ell]

I actually want some that does spread. I bought some blocking 14 seeds of which only one germinated out of the full pack and so obviously have only one plant now which is about two inch tall and next to useless for why I want some Comfrey.

I wish somebody would drop a load of plants off for me, seeding or non seeding. I would rather have the problem of digging them up if they spread than having none at all!

Regards Rob

Rob, that's a bit like saying you don't mind having a potentially invasive weed on your plot - and you don't mind introducing it to all the plots around you, nor to the gardens of the houses nearby.

[Dynamite]

Where do you live?

Hull, East Yorkshire

[Dynamite]

Thanks again Jay-ell.

@Dynamite. I actually got mine through Freecycle/Freegle. Are you a member of either/both? If so it might be worth a go and you might struck luck like I did. I asked for Bocking 14 and an exceptionally kind and helpful woman dug up one of her plants and made around 25 offcuts from it... I have no direct experience, but from what I have read wild comfrey will spread like billy-o and take over the garden.

Thanks Max, I will look on there

[Dynamite]

Rob, that's a bit like saying you don't mind having a potentially invasive weed on your plot - and you don't mind introducing it to all the plots around you, nor to the gardens of the houses nearby.

True Jay-ell but I have a no mans land at the end of my garden that is technically waste land but owned by the council and only accessible from my garden and it doesn't border anyone else's so was planting along there. Unfortunately there's only a few nettles which I use and no comfrey.

[Cadalot]

As a responsible neighbour one would hope that you go for Bocking 14 as it will take over if its not 14 and it does not muck around growing



Photo is of the comfrey beds at the back of my allotment and the comfrey is in its 2nd year