Comfrey

Starlight · July 28, 2015

The other day before my computer went on the fritz I was googling around the web looking for other organic alternatives to some of our plant disease and pest problems and preventing infected seeds.

I was reading one thing followed a link and ended up on this page.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3811524/

Now most of it I don't understand, too many big words for me.

But, as I went down the page I did find this that was interesting.

"The exact method of entry into the fruit from external sources is still unclear. Tomato fruits do not possess stomata, and wounds are not necessary for lesion development (15). Therefore, the pathogen is thought to access the fruit via glandular and nonglandular trichomes that cover developing green fruit. As the fruit begins to grow, it sheds trichomes, which exposes open trichome bases and provides points of entry, as has been shown for Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (2, 32). "

Now reading that passage and I could be so totally way off base here, but I am thinking that maybe we should be looking at tomatoes too that have very few trichome hairs on them if pathogens have an easier time infecting plants that have and shed alot of these hairs.

Also makes me wonder is we shouldn't start trying to find some sort of organic spray to spray the tomatoes with as they start developing to protect them and the plants.

Yes, I could be totally off the wall, but I was just thinking and I don't mind folks shooting me down. We learn by sharing ideas and thoughts.

Now while I was at it, I started thinking about starting off with the healtiest possible plants is one thing that is needed. There are products out there that can help like RootShield, which does work by the way, a beneficial fungicide and I think they have a spray for the leaves too, but I can't remember its name, maybe Plant Shield, been to many years since I worked with it.

Then I remembered another plant that has supposedly more fungal and beneficial properties than any plant and that is Comfrey.

If you google, comfrey plants, comfrey as an insecticide, comfrey as a fungicide you will find all kinds of formulas for making a Comfrey tea to spray plants with , also ways to use it as a mulch to build soils.

Comfrey does have a lot of healing powers for the body. I was gifted a jar of homemade Comfrey salve and I wish I had a bunch more jars as it helped to heal aches and pains and minor cuts.

I wonder if any of you with tomato problems are growing Comfrey and had thought about using it as a fungicide and also as an insecticide.

I do know that no mater how many bugs and pests are out and about, I have not in 3 years seen a single bug or problem with Comfrey plants, nor have I seen plants around the Comfrey infected with anything.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organ...maz74zhol.aspx

Just an idea I am throwing out there in hopes that we can find something that will help some folks with disease and pest problems. If we don't experiment, we'll never know if something might or might not work.

Thanks to Bill's Bleach spray method and Ray sharing about TT plants that probably would have bit the dust are alive and thriving still.

kayrobbins · July 29, 2015

I grow a lot of comfrey but have never made the tea to try that out. I use it as a companion plant to my olive and apple trees. Over the past few years I have planted many different vegetables in that same area and they always outperform the same thing planted in other areas. I am not sure how resistant they are to insect damage because snails and slugs gravitate to my comfrey. At least they prefer that to my other crops.

GardeningCook · July 29, 2015

Just DO NOT INGEST IT!!! It's been a well-known fact for a couple of decades now that Comfrey has serious carcinogenic properties. Again - DO NOT take it internally. And frankly, I wouldn't use it topically either.

barefootgardener · July 29, 2015

I have lots of comfrey growing around the farm. Had it for many years.. Like Kay, I have it growing around my small orchard as a companion plant to my cherry, plum and apple trees. I also have it in my garden. I don't use it as a pest control, but I do use the leaves in the compost pile. The leaves have a natural source of NPK, so it makes a good soil amendment also.

I have seen many recipes for the comfrey compost tea.. I have wanted to try it, but, never made it.

My goats loved comfrey leaves. They would get a few, fresh young leaves a few times a week to eat. It is a healing plant that helps promote the growth of the connective tissue, bone and cartilage. Just do your research on Comfrey before giving to any animal and know the precautions..

Ginny

GardeningCook · July 29, 2015

Yes - it is supposed to be a good addition to compost piles.

DarrenC · July 29, 2015

I tried to read the linked pages and glazed over half a paragraph in.... I've not considered using it as a spray, I've been using it all year as the only fertiliser on my tomatoes. I steeped it for about 4 weeks and then used the strained 'tea' about 1:10 when watering about every 5 or 6 days.
I have no frame of reference with non organic fertilisers but the tomatoes seem to be doing ok. I'm also suffering a few foliage issues the same as everyone else.
I've read the same as GardeningCook, it's carcinogenic so the long term negatives should make you look elsewhere for medicinal remedies.
The only other thing that would stop me using it as a foliage spray is that it as a tea it smells like raw sewage. Nice.

July 28, 2015	#1
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	Comfrey The other day before my computer went on the fritz I was googling around the web looking for other organic alternatives to some of our plant disease and pest problems and preventing infected seeds. I was reading one thing followed a link and ended up on this page. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3811524/ Now most of it I don't understand, too many big words for me. But, as I went down the page I did find this that was interesting. "The exact method of entry into the fruit from external sources is still unclear. Tomato fruits do not possess stomata, and wounds are not necessary for lesion development (15). Therefore, the pathogen is thought to access the fruit via glandular and nonglandular trichomes that cover developing green fruit. As the fruit begins to grow, it sheds trichomes, which exposes open trichome bases and provides points of entry, as has been shown for Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (2, 32). " Now reading that passage and I could be so totally way off base here, but I am thinking that maybe we should be looking at tomatoes too that have very few trichome hairs on them if pathogens have an easier time infecting plants that have and shed alot of these hairs. Also makes me wonder is we shouldn't start trying to find some sort of organic spray to spray the tomatoes with as they start developing to protect them and the plants. Yes, I could be totally off the wall, but I was just thinking and I don't mind folks shooting me down. We learn by sharing ideas and thoughts. Now while I was at it, I started thinking about starting off with the healtiest possible plants is one thing that is needed. There are products out there that can help like RootShield, which does work by the way, a beneficial fungicide and I think they have a spray for the leaves too, but I can't remember its name, maybe Plant Shield, been to many years since I worked with it. Then I remembered another plant that has supposedly more fungal and beneficial properties than any plant and that is Comfrey. If you google, comfrey plants, comfrey as an insecticide, comfrey as a fungicide you will find all kinds of formulas for making a Comfrey tea to spray plants with , also ways to use it as a mulch to build soils. Comfrey does have a lot of healing powers for the body. I was gifted a jar of homemade Comfrey salve and I wish I had a bunch more jars as it helped to heal aches and pains and minor cuts. I wonder if any of you with tomato problems are growing Comfrey and had thought about using it as a fungicide and also as an insecticide. I do know that no mater how many bugs and pests are out and about, I have not in 3 years seen a single bug or problem with Comfrey plants, nor have I seen plants around the Comfrey infected with anything. http://www.motherearthnews.com/organ...maz74zhol.aspx Just an idea I am throwing out there in hopes that we can find something that will help some folks with disease and pest problems. If we don't experiment, we'll never know if something might or might not work. Thanks to Bill's Bleach spray method and Ray sharing about TT plants that probably would have bit the dust are alive and thriving still.

July 29, 2015	#3
GardeningCook Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 115	Just DO NOT INGEST IT!!! It's been a well-known fact for a couple of decades now that Comfrey has serious carcinogenic properties. Again - DO NOT take it internally. And frankly, I wouldn't use it topically either. __________________ My body is a temple. Unfortunately, it's a fixer-upper.

July 29, 2015	#5
GardeningCook Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 115	Yes - it is supposed to be a good addition to compost piles. __________________ My body is a temple. Unfortunately, it's a fixer-upper.

July 29, 2015	#2
kayrobbins Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 820	I grow a lot of comfrey but have never made the tea to try that out. I use it as a companion plant to my olive and apple trees. Over the past few years I have planted many different vegetables in that same area and they always outperform the same thing planted in other areas. I am not sure how resistant they are to insect damage because snails and slugs gravitate to my comfrey. At least they prefer that to my other crops.

July 29, 2015	#4
barefootgardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Michigan Zone 4b Posts: 1,291	I have lots of comfrey growing around the farm. Had it for many years.. Like Kay, I have it growing around my small orchard as a companion plant to my cherry, plum and apple trees. I also have it in my garden. I don't use it as a pest control, but I do use the leaves in the compost pile. The leaves have a natural source of NPK, so it makes a good soil amendment also. I have seen many recipes for the comfrey compost tea.. I have wanted to try it, but, never made it. My goats loved comfrey leaves. They would get a few, fresh young leaves a few times a week to eat. It is a healing plant that helps promote the growth of the connective tissue, bone and cartilage. Just do your research on Comfrey before giving to any animal and know the precautions.. Ginny

July 29, 2015	#6
DarrenC Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: UK Posts: 45	I tried to read the linked pages and glazed over half a paragraph in.... I've not considered using it as a spray, I've been using it all year as the only fertiliser on my tomatoes. I steeped it for about 4 weeks and then used the strained 'tea' about 1:10 when watering about every 5 or 6 days. I have no frame of reference with non organic fertilisers but the tomatoes seem to be doing ok. I'm also suffering a few foliage issues the same as everyone else. I've read the same as GardeningCook, it's carcinogenic so the long term negatives should make you look elsewhere for medicinal remedies. The only other thing that would stop me using it as a foliage spray is that it as a tea it smells like raw sewage. Nice.