Growing and using comfrey - a free fertiliser to supercharge your garden | Permaculture food forest
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- You might have heard Comfrey being thrown around as a permaculture buzz word and as a free free fertiliser you can grow yourself! And what is comfrey tea? In this video I will explain everything you need to know about Comfrey: What it is, why you should be growing it? and my top tips on how to harness comfrey to supercharge your garden.
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It certainly is a darling of permaculture devotees (and I am one). But testing has shown that dandelion and nettle have more minerals than comfrey. Nothing wrong with comfrey, but add some dandelions and/or nettle to your "tea" and you'll have an even better fertilizer.
Thanks for this extra tip! I love dandelion and nettle!!!
much appreciated.
The comfrey in my garden has supercharged 2 Dandelion plants to grow almost 6 ft tall…
Are you talking about stinging nettles?
@@mandiegarrett1706 Yes
I use it for swelling and pain. I use some leaves and roots in 90% or higher rubbing alcohol. Let it set for six months. It turns a beautiful green. I Use it topically for arthritis swelling and pain. 👍🏻
Great idea!
I use my blender and blend up three half full blender pitchers of comfrey with enough water to have very small pieces. I put them in a tote with 5 gallons of water and. in three or 4 days it's ready to use in the garden. Why wait when you don't have to?
Thank you
I just planted comfrey last year. It's a lovely plant, and I'm looking forward to using it as fertilizer. This is the perfect video to show me how to do this!
There's one more benefit and use of Comfrey that you have sadly missed. Your wonderful feathered girls that I can hear in the background of this video absolutely love to eat comfrey and their droppings help feed the Comfrey. Don't worry about them harming the Comfrey just plant it up against their walls as it is such a great source of food.
Tks!❤
Yes! That is where mine is thriving the most
Had to google what "once a fortnight" meant. Once every two weeks. xD
I'm dumb.
But great video. Thanks for sharing!
You have missed Shakespeare? It was a common term in olden days😏
@@dougbas3980 I did say I was dumb. 😉😉
Thanks for doing that because I have never heard of "fortnight" before. You help me clarify it.
@@dougbas3980
I thought it was 2 weeks but I wouldn't have bet my life on it.
I'm reading the comments for this very answer. Thank you!
new sub from Melbourne so happy i found another gardener from M hope you have lots of good ideas
Be careful where you place comfrey because it is very difficult to kill it if you change your mind. I have hundreds and hundreds of them. They are impossible to dig up completely because every tiny root fragment you leave behind will become another comfrey plant. I dug up one plant four years ago to fix a water line and now I have more than 20 comfrey plants in that spot, despite being careful to try to dig up the original plant completely. You can cut the roots up into 1 inch segments, and even the tiniest fragments will result in a new plant. If you aren’t in a hurry, buy one plant and propagate it by digging it up after one year, chopping up the roots, and planting each root fragment a couple of inches deep. You can even plant these fragments directly into sod and they will grow. Plant them at least two and a half feet away from the edge you want. Once they grow, they flop over and nothing grows under it (100% shade). They also act as a very effective rhizome barrier. Tough rhizomatous grasses can’t breach a solid wall of comfrey. Plant them about a half foot apart and they will create a Great Wall. I agree that you can chop and drop several times during the growing season. Bocking 14 Comfrey is very tough and has sterile seed. Very useful plant.
Yeah, but it does not do well in hot weather. I planted one when it was rainy and cool. It grew big and seemed to be thriving. Then the following year there was very little rainfall and extended dry and hot spell. The comfrey died and has not come back despite watering the area( near aloe vera plants, which survived the heat).
Very helpful. The comfrey tea is new for me. We feed comfrey to our chickens as well. I have always used it as a compost additive. Such a useful plant.
Thanks for all the great info. This was the first video where I saw someone actually make comfrey tea from start to finish, and then how you needed to dilute it to when it was ready to use on your plants. I’m just now starting to grow comfrey in my garden and I’m so excited.
I make a balm from comfrey and use the flowers of the borage when I have a cough or cold to relieve it
Hi Jian, I have been watching for quite some time and I can't even remember if I had commented before! 😅 I have been waiting and waiting for a garden tour especially your vegetable garden. Since last year in fact! Except for a few other gardening channels, I have suddenly develop perverse allegy to watching more tomatoes, cabbage, carrots.. (ok, I lied, I still watch them!) Since I'm from Malaysia, I do love seeing the Asian mix in your garden. Love your shark fin melons and chokos btw! I've planted some winter melon before and gave all but one away. But in the end it ended up in the compost pile. Planted the shark fin melon but they died. Ugh.. I have a few more seeds left, will try to plant it again after the tromboncino. Anyway, hope to see your vegetable garden tour before the season ends!
What kind of chickens are you raising? Love to hear their chatter in the background! 😊
Thank you for your wonderful video I am growing comfrey now in fall in some water jugs and I am seeing good results Jan from Vancouver Island BC
once you get some going, it propagates very well and hard to kill. But it is so useful, that is a good thing.😃
I have three of these plants growing from seeds. Im shocked at how puny these were two weeks ago and how big they are now. There is a huge patch of these growing wild a mile from me next to a parking lot. I should ask if I can have a few cuttings. Awesome video. So appreciate this. Im thrilled to get away from commercial fertilizers. I knew God had this amazing plant for this. They are quite neat looking and pretty in flower, albeit large when mature. I have all three of mine on a veg bed edge and will make a place for it near my flower beds when they are large enough to take cuttings.
Bocking 14 - the variety of comfrey first developed & studied by Lawrence D Hills in the HDRA (Henry Doubleday Research Institute) is a sterile clone - it DOES NOT spread from where it is planted. This is one of its great merits (it not being invasive) which is especially important since it sends down such deep roots that once established, it is difficult to remove. However in 25yr of growing & using it I have never once WANTED to remove a plant. For when I have no need to cut it for mulch, fertiliser or compost, its purple flowers are a WONDERFUL bumblebee magnet. So be careful on relying on the chemical analysis results for B14 on seed-grown comfrey. Will be similar, but not identical.
Thank you. Hook on comfrey 😅 ❤ from Chicago. Most definitely will subscribe to your channel.
Thank you for such an informative video. I have Comfrey seeds so will wait until late winter and plant them. I will use it for balms, fertiliser and compost enhancer. I knew I was onto a winner with my research.
Have patience with the seeds. I planted 12 and got three seedlings. They were planted in the garden as babies two weeks ago. Its amazing how fast they grow once in the ground. I water them every day as its 90+ in upper midwest US and very little rain in 6-7 weeks. They are doing fantastic. I fussed over them as seedlings and it paid off. Got my seeds from etsy but I hear root cuttings work best to propagate. Good luck!! 😉
@@AcornHillHomestead yes root cuttings are great. Once you have a few going, propagation is a breeze.
Fantastic! What an absolutely beautiful garden.
Wonderful video. I love the Ausies--SE Asia and Great Britain. Who still says "fortnight"??? I had to think back on that one since it's never used in the States anymore, but maybe I'll change that!!!. Love it! Gardening is universal and so are the descriptions. Getting out to chop comfrey now!
What do you say instead of fortnight?
Thank you so much for this video, I live in the UK and have an allotment that is over run with comfrey and this year there is also a huge amount of teasel, considering I had no plants of either last year it amazes me how Mother Earth knows what she needs and provides it to you. Other plot holders have been moaning about the overgrowth of "weeds" i.e comfrey etc. but like you say the nutrients that are being bought to the surface are incredible and I have done nothing - I shall this week (June) cut some of it back and clear some of the beds ready for planting next year as it is obvious she (Mother Earth) is desperate for nutrients so this year I will use all the comfrey to feed back into the land and then next year she will be rich and ready to plant my dye garden - I will also use comfrey leaves as a natural dye for my sheep fleeces which will then be processed into art yarn etc. What a great free plant and so many uses. TFS and inspiring me to not listen to those who know little to nothing about this magnificent plant.
Great tips, love your video, thanks for sharing
thank you : )
❤ ty! From centeal tx
Well done. I've not heard anyone talk about Confrey for years. My mom did many years ago. I'll ask around now. Thanks
I am new to your channel thank you for the information
Thanks for the tip
Love this video & advice ! Thank you 😊
❤❤❤
A wonderful vid! Thanks for taking the time and effort to film and edit that. Appreciate that you came back over weeks/months to show us how your garden and tea was progressing! 👏🏼🙏🏼
🙏🏻🙏🏻
❤LY 😎TKS SUBSCRIBED 😊
I am from Pakistan ❤❤❤❤
thank you for the helpful video... my comfrey plants are smaller, how much can I cut from each one? can I just cut them back to the ground? its the beginning of summer here now
The leaves on your comfrey are huge compared to mine.
I use a fish air machinr and it gets the smell reduces
Where do I buy comfrey plants in vic gippsland
what type of soil is suitable for growing comfrey ?
With making weed or comfrey teas, use a fish-tank bubbler to change the decomposition process from anaerobic to aerobic, which doesn’t stink so much, especially if you accidently get it on yourself. Plus I think it is faster, though never did any comparisons.
I would be interested in a comparison! If only I had comfrey growing around me. It's on my list tho
Help! I got two, small cuttings and planted them in a couple of pots to get them started. They immediately got midgies and started to die so I treated the pots with peroxide/water bath which killed the flies/eggs in the soil. Now, they've developed something I've never seen: spots on the leaves that are clear-- as if something is eating the green of the leaf but leaving behind little "windows" where I see the underlying structure/pattern but can see through if that makes sense? What am I doing wrong? Is there anything I can treat them with to get rid of whatever this is? :(
It’s a wonderful medical addiction to your home. Look up it uses. I can’t keep up with people wanting it
I have heard it is poisonous
that looks so snakey
😂
Let’s face it, it smells like old man breath! 😂
That was really debunked
Just too much talking without any real info
my mother mangled her hand by grabbing a hedge trimmer by the blades while it was on. she would have needed many stitches. instead she put comfrey leaves on her hand wrapped in bandages. she did this for a month. her hand has no sign of scarring or damage.
WOW. Tks for sharing!
I'll try it! ❤
I thought you weren't supposed to put comfrey on open wounds.
Not sure tho
@jude7321 you don't. Never.
Comfrey is such a quick healer, it will heal everything that us in the open wound. Use comfrey after the opening has healed. And on any bruise, broken bones....after the opening has healed (is closed).
You can use Lamb's Ear on open wounds. I clip my toe nails too short. They bleed a tiny bit. I put a Lamb's Ear leaf on it, wrap a piece of tape around it.....Voila! No more bleeding, and it heals in less than a day.
@@jude7321….def a NO on deep wounds……shallow, minor scratches, cuts is ok……
It's very important to note that Comfrey is not meant for internal use and not even on deep wounds. It is an EXCELLENT wound healer, so much so, that for deep wounds it will heal the surface of the wound before the inside can heal. This leaves you ;-) with the risk of an abscess as it can seal the infection in. It is also excellent to heal broken bones, just use it as an external compress. Best to read up on Comfrey before using it as medicine. It is definitely one to have in your garden.
At 80 years old my mother fell and broke three ribs. They were healed within 3 weeks using a comfrey poultice, changed out twice a day. This was used during world war II when soldiers broke bones (the herb was referred to back then as ("knit bone")to quickly get them out of pain(hence the reference to "comfort"in the name of this herb), and quickly get them back on their feet.
The procedure is simple: All I used was gauze and 4" wide ling strip of a sheet to make the wrap holding the poultice against her body. The gause was used for containing the poultice because it is quite messy after sleeping the leaves. I spread the poultice on it after straining the comfrey (it develops a healing mucilage when steeping the leaves in tepid -not hot- water. Spreading out the strip of sheet, I placed the gause in a way where I could spread the poultice evenly(like you would butter) on it and folded the gause over to contain it mainly because this stuff is really really nasty messy, and then folded the sheet to where it was contained, then wrapped it around her ribs. This is the same way soldiers were bandaged. And she healed in much the same way. It was really amazing to see the level of comfort it gave her as well.
@@bonnievallery8327 that was great to know thank you
Comfrey is good for internal use, despite what the literature says. I think the people who wrote it don't like comfrey. I have used it internally for more than 10 years and here i am, still typing about it, healthier than ever.
@@mandandithose who have made these claims are government agencies based on very sloppy poor studies, always do the opposite of what they claim is “safe and effective”
I used to use comfrey tea in my hydroponics system, fantastic. Nothing else was required. My chickens loved the fresh leaves, which I gave them a few leaves almost daily. Needless to say we had healthy chickens and never missed a day with out one egg per chook, for years and years.
I am so thankful to have found you. I am a fellow Aussie, so seeing you grow all this food is so encouraging. Where would you recommend I start watching your videos? We have 4 vegie beds all set up and would like to grow veggies for a family of 6. We also have an acre and a half, in a city so we want to grow fruits and berries too. I am so excited. Thanks, Fiona.
I love adding the little flowers as a salad topper! They are delicious and often sweet. 😋
Don't know we the flowers is edible... Great will try those...
Do i need to soak it first or blanch them?
Thank u😊
I use them raw on salads. Many flowers are edible, but you need to know about any specific one you want to try. Some flowers are NOT edible.
New to your channel and subscribed because you are informative and succinct. Your aussie accent and unpretentious good looks and mannerisms are also delightful and non-abrasive. Kudos!
What would be the possibility of putting the comfrey into a bag made from Fly screen Material to use it like Tea Bag as I use 60 litre plastic Garbage Bins from Bunnings up here in Wauchope NSW. Where is a good place to get Russian Comfrey up this way.
I’ve grown comfrey for several years in my south Alabama, USA raised beds. They are definitely a fruit multiplier. My jalapeño plant had more peppers than I ever thought possible. The cherry tomatoes were nearly unstoppable. But my question is, will it self pollinate in a greenhouse? My comfrey plants are flowering well, but pollinators aren’t able to get inside the greenhouse.
Bocking varieties of comfrey do not set seed so they spread by division or by the gardener cutting roots. Symphytum Officinale and Bocking varieties of comfrey have identical medicinal properties. Humans shouldn't eat comfrey but it is a great plant to feed chickens up to 100% of their feed in wilted comfrey leaves or grazing animals & pigs up to 30% of their feed. Comfrey leaves are very high in protein and other essential nutrients.
Thank you for your, helpful advice, i look forward to watching more videos.
Happy to see this video is doing well! Love comfrey so much! Haven't had the time to watch (yet!) but will eventually get around to it and probably learn a few things. Hope all is well and keep growing beautiful stuff.
bonjour -my english is very very bad -so i write in french--pour avoir de la consoude gratuitement dans votre jardin allez en campagne avec un bon outil de jardinage et extirpez des morceaux de racines de 5 à 10 cm--vous les planterez horizontalement et vous en aurez 9 sur 10 à réussir--i "love " comfrey -so beautiful and so useful
i live in bretagne -rennes --and i have a very very small garden 😀
Some of the most beautiful things in the world are small.
God bless you
Jude, from Kentucky ✝️🐴🌿🌿❣️
I’m so glad I found you!❤
Adding LAB will get the smell out
"swamp water" i got a long handled Sause pot from the 2nd hand store to dispense the JDAM
Is Comfrey an Australian Native, ir not is there any Austrakian Native akterbative as ther earw ao many invaiaive overseas olants in Aussie bush 😊
Thank you for another great video! I have heard you mention comfrey before and I have been on the lock out. I now have 3 plants ready to be planted under my fruit trees. Your garden is my main inspiration!
Another wonderful video. The presentation is excellent and tremendously informative. Tomorrow I’m making tea!
Thanks! Yes, we use comfrey a lot in our garden. We have it, like you, all over our garden but we don't mind as we use it so much. Either as a tea, mulch or in the compost.
Wow i seen it in the backyard and front yards in my area. Thanks for the advice and information
Great video I have comfrey growing and intend to transplant more thank you.
Hello to all,how to avail compry seed
You need a root to propagate the comfrey.
You are amazing and thank you for all you’re doing for the collective! This is fantastic and I’ll be working in making Nettle and Comfrey tea as you’re describing. Can’t wait!
I grow some in pots and inground,find it takes a lot of water to keep it growing well
Just like any other fertilizer keep your concentrated concoction out of reach of animals. Some dogs will try to eat or drink anything, especially if it stinks.
Thank you, I always find your videos so instructive. Can you put Comfrey on native food plants?
Wheres a good location to hunt for wild comfrey ?
Can I use the tea on my cabbages and spinach?
:)
My Aunt Thelma used to eat it raw when ever she had a stomachache.
Very informative video. Thanks for sharing
Where can we get the seed to take to Africa
I grow it under my blackberries with Narcissi which comes into bloom before the comfrey comes through. It helps to minimise weeding and three times for the year. I cut it in the compost heap.
Thank you #SaveSoil #Consciousplanet
Funny story with mom. Lol.
I put damaged leaves in my compost. pile. I wrapped a leaf around my big toe after dropping a step stone on my bare foot. Crushed my toe. After about two hours the pain was almost gone. Add some prayer for healing and no pain left.
Hello my mother love your videos Can you also add Hindi subtitles My mother tried to watch your videos with auto translate but they are not accurate lots of love from India 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳
As if she’s going to add Hindi for you idiot 🙄🤦🏻♀️😂😂😂