Comfrey fertiliser questions

[cabbagepatchkid]

All the wild comfrey around here is flowering madly, so would now be a good time to collect the leaves to make tea/add to compost bins?

Once I've made the comfrey tea, how long does it last, i.e. how long can I keep on using it before emptying the bin and making a new batch?

Can I use the leaves even after the flowering season is over to make another batch later in the year?

New to this

[muck lover]

I’ve grown three comfrey plants from seed last year so will be watching for the answers!!

[Bren In Pots]

Here's a couple of older threads about comfrey hope this helps :-

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...etc_94893.html

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ded_92470.html

[rary]

Just to show the difference from one area to another, I had a look at some wild comfrey on Sunday afternoon and the leaves are just starting to open out most of the plants had about four leaves each three inches tall so not worth picking yet

[nickdub]

You can use the leaves any time - might be a bit less goodness at some stages than others, but it will still be a +.

BTW the white flowered ones you mention are probably the small leaved sort that some people use as a ground cover. The comfrey you see written about as a green manure is usually Bocking 14, which is a much bigger plant, up to about 4' high and it flowers later around June/July with mauvish flowers the bumbles like. You can get about 3 cuts a year off this latter type, and it does not set seed so propagation is by root-cuttings.

[cabbagepatchkid]

Fab, thank you very much! Off to make stinky stuff

[veggiechicken]

BTW the white flowered ones you mention are probably the small leaved sort that some people use as a ground cover. .

I have the white flowered comfrey - don't know where it came from but its here - and in flower now. Spreads easily but the bees love it and i like it, so its welcome.

[nickdub]

Yep in flower round here too - I'm not sure how they developed the Bocking type - probably cross-bred the white one with other sorts.

[Snadger]

On the question of how long the tea lasts, I would say indefinately. I made two barrels of it last year. Opened the barrel recently and it still pongs so assume its ok to use.

[ESBkevin]

I still have about 2.5Ltrs of last years comfry tea and will be using it early in the season until I can make fresh. Even if it deteriorates a little it still has the same source ingredients so must do some good, unless an expert knows better.

[nickdub]

expert = an old drip under pressure

[mrbadexample]

Another comfrey question - what else can I use it for?

I see that some say to lay it at the base of your potato trench (although I don't know how they manage this as mine is only about 1" high when I'm putting the potatoes in).

So how about other plants? When I'm potting on the tomatoes into their final pot, would a couple of nice comfrey leaves in the pot be beneficial? Same question for cucumbers, peppers, aubergines etc. And things like squash when they're planted out few leaves in the hole?

[nickdub]

Another comfrey question - what else can I use it for?

I see that some say to lay it at the base of your potato trench (although I don't know how they manage this as mine is only about 1" high when I'm putting the potatoes in).

So how about other plants? When I'm potting on the tomatoes into their final pot, would a couple of nice comfrey leaves in the pot be beneficial? Same question for cucumbers, peppers, aubergines etc. And things like squash when they're planted out few leaves in the hole?

You've got to be a bit careful, as with comfrey it breaks down to more or less nothing, so you could in theory be left with a bit of an air void at the bottom of your pots. I put some at the bottom of the sack bags I grow potatoes in and also the bottom-less buckets for growing toms or cucs. Otherwise I add some to a barrel for watering and I also put a bit on the surface next to the roots of soft-fruit - if I still have some over, I just add it to the compost bin.

[Baldy]

^^^ its a very interesting tale...
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/artic...-uses-benefits
um

still - whatever floats yer boat
having said that I want to get my hands on the other Bocking hybrd that is meant for animal fodder - Bocking 12 maybe? - just because

[Babru]

^^^ its a very interesting tale...
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/artic...-uses-benefits
um

still - whatever floats yer boat
having said that I want to get my hands on the other Bocking hybrd that is meant for animal fodder - Bocking 12 maybe? - just because

This is a really interesting article about comfrey, thanks a lot.