Mystery root monster...

[Dotty Sarah]

Hello all, I'm hoping that someone may be able to please help me identify this monster lurking beneath my new plot. It's masses of roots spanning an area of at least 2' by 15' and I'm struggling to get it all out. Not sure if it's weed or not but my main concern is that it may be something that will grow back if I don't get all the bits out.

There are some pics in this album:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...+monster!.html

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[veggiechicken]

Is it Comfrey? If it is, keep it

[Jardiniere]

are the leaves slightly hairy? (comfrey? borage?)
otherwise my thoughts were horseradish?
worth keeping a few roots of either

[Dotty Sarah]

Thanks VC, just found some pics of comfrey roots and it may well be. I've only dug up half so far so will leave the rest for now and see what happens. Do you know if the odd bits of root left in the section I've cleared are likely to re grow?

[Dotty Sarah]

Thanks Jardiniere, when I first found it I tried smelling the thick roots for any clue but no obvious scent of horseradish or anything like that. Unfortunately I don't really know what the leaves are like, there were only a few sprouting and I dug them up last week before I realised the full extent of the roots.

[rustylady]

If it is comfrey it is a very useful plant, so you might want to keep some of it.

[WendyC]

Pictures 3 and 4 look like comfrey. That's about the stage of growth mine is at the moment.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks VC, just found some pics of comfrey roots and it may well be. I've only dug up half so far so will leave the rest for now and see what happens. Do you know if the odd bits of root left in the section I've cleared are likely to re grow?

From another thread Buy B-actif comfrey root-cuttings
So, bag them up and sell them on (once you know what they are )

[Mr Bones]

I'd go for comfrey, and yes Dotty S, small pieces of root will grow into plants if allowed to (even pieces sliced as thin as coin sized discs). Very useful plant though.

[Dotty Sarah]

Brill, cheers all. We'll have to wait and see, how exciting Any ideas on how to store the roots to keep them viable?

[Alison]

As said, if its comfrey then you'll find it very difficult to dig it out anyway, it grows very easily from root cuttings - I have some at one end of my plot which I've been trying to get rid of for ages which only ended up there because it had a pot of the stuff sat directly on the ground for a season until I got round to planting it where I wanted and the root grew out the bottom of the pot and a bit must have broken off when I moved it. Great stuff though.

[rustylady]

Brill, cheers all. We'll have to wait and see, how exciting Any ideas on how to store the roots to keep them viable?

Why do you want to store them?

[zazen999]

Brill, cheers all. We'll have to wait and see, how exciting Any ideas on how to store the roots to keep them viable?

Bury them in the soil. Like they were before you dug them up.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Brill, cheers all. We'll have to wait and see, how exciting Any ideas on how to store the roots to keep them viable?

Don't worry about what you've dug out, Sarah - as the others have intimated, you'd struggle to kill it off! Brilliant stuff!

[Newton]

I will have some.......are you going to the grapefeststockmeetthingy?. If so could you bring a bagful?