Comfrey root

[Tracydr]

I've been reading about various composting crops. I'd love to start a comfrey patch but don't want to get the common variety. Does anybody have any root cuttings from Bocking 4 or 14?
I'd be happy to trade seeds. Let me know if I can take a piece of comfrey off your hands.
I'm also looking for a chocolate mint start.

[paulgrow]

Several years ago I had a plot in a community garden. This is the first time I experienced comfrey It is VERY INVASIVE. It has a very deep tap root. Beware it will take over.

[Tracydr]

Did you have the common variety? They are very invasive, which is why I'm looking for the sterile Bocking types.

[paulgrow]

Don't know which variety, it was growing all over the place. It had been there for years.

[bower]

Tracydr, seed sterility won't help with the invasiveness of comfrey - the roots are spreading and they come back from any bit of root you missed when digging them out.
I've had comfrey in my garden for over 20 years, and now that you mention it, I have never seen a seedling of it volunteer, although I'm pretty sure I started it from seed in the first place. It seems odd, maybe someone gave me the root and it is a sterile type.
Either way, I'm sure you'll give it a place of its own, away from the cultivated garden. My mom has a couple of patches they planted down in her field of hay, they've spread a bit over the years but nothing too dramatic, I do think the grass keeps them in check.

[habitat_gardener]

I've had a few patches of comfrey (probably the common variety) at various community garden plots. It dies back to the ground in the winter, and revives in the spring. It needs some warmth and sufficient water to grow. In my summer-dry climate, it hasn't been invasive at all. The only plant that has 'traveled' in 10 years is the one near the hose bib, with nearby plants that get lots of water. No seedlings at all. None of the others has ventured from its original clump.

Some plants that did not get watered did dry out in the dry months, but revived with water. I'd be a lot more cautious about placing it in a garden if I lived in a climate with summer rain.

A few years ago, I dug up some roots for someone and, because I had them, potted up the very thin roots that were left (almost like root hairs). They all survived! Comfrey is commonly propagated from 4-inch sections of root.

I'll be digging up one of my plants in the next month (from a community garden that's closing because the land is being sold) and would be happy to send root pieces in return for postage. It's probably a lot easier to get comfrey locally, though.

It's a great compost plant! I've chopped leaves/stems to use as mulch, and I've also put them in a bucket with water to make a fertilizer for my plants.

[kayrobbins]

If you plant it and leave it in place it is not usually invasive but when you dig it up it does tend to spread. You have a good source for Comfrey in North Carolina and their website has good information.
http://www.coescomfrey.com/comfrey.html

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by bower

Tracydr, seed sterility won't help with the invasiveness of comfrey - the roots are spreading and they come back from any bit of root you missed when digging them out.
I've had comfrey in my garden for over 20 years, and now that you mention it, I have never seen a seedling of it volunteer, although I'm pretty sure I started it from seed in the first place. It seems odd, maybe someone gave me the root and it is a sterile type.
Either way, I'm sure you'll give it a place of its own, away from the cultivated garden. My mom has a couple of patches they planted down in her field of hay, they've spread a bit over the years but nothing too dramatic, I do think the grass keeps them in check.

Thanks for the warning. I was going to plant it on the edge of our woods near the pond. I will also be planting my horseradish root that I got from the grocery store in that area since it will have plenty of room for itself.
I planted two mint plants in similar locations but slightly closer to the kitchen.
I don't mind if the mint gets big and spreads. I will make lots of mint chutneys and teas. And compost the excess.
I could also plant it in the bamboo patch and they could duke it out!

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

If you plant it and leave it in place it is not usually invasive but when you dig it up it does tend to spread. You have a good source for Comfrey in North Carolina and their website has good information.
http://www.coescomfrey.com/comfrey.html

Thanks for the link!

[Tracydr]

Would borage do as well as comfrey for composting? And, what about cardoons and artichokes? I have seeds for all the above and have 5 artichoke seedlings that I started a couple of weeks ago.
Looking for things that do a good job of activating the compost pile and bringing minerals up, since my soil is sandy and low on everything but iron.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

I've had a few patches of comfrey (probably the common variety) at various community garden plots. It dies back to the ground in the winter, and revives in the spring. It needs some warmth and sufficient water to grow. In my summer-dry climate, it hasn't been invasive at all. The only plant that has 'traveled' in 10 years is the one near the hose bib, with nearby plants that get lots of water. No seedlings at all. None of the others has ventured from its original clump.

Some plants that did not get watered did dry out in the dry months, but revived with water. I'd be a lot more cautious about placing it in a garden if I lived in a climate with summer rain.

A few years ago, I dug up some roots for someone and, because I had them, potted up the very thin roots that were left (almost like root hairs). They all survived! Comfrey is commonly propagated from 4-inch sections of root.

I'll be digging up one of my plants in the next month (from a community garden that's closing because the land is being sold) and would be happy to send root pieces in return for postage. It's probably a lot easier to get comfrey locally, though.

It's a great compost plant! I've chopped leaves/stems to use as mulch, and I've also put them in a bucket with water to make a fertilizer for my plants.

I think I live in a subtropical rain forest at times. Tree frogs everywhere!
We seem to get a lot of summer rain here, often 3-6" at one time. I do have plenty of room for comfrey to grow off by itself. Sounds like one tough plant!
I would love if you could send me a bit of root. I can trade some seeds or something if you'd like.

[Soilsniffer]

I used to grow comfrey, before I moved here to VA.

There are two basic types of comfrey: True comfrey, and Russian (Bocking) comfrey.

True comfrey produces seeds, that drop and result in new comfrey plants. True comfrey is *very* invasive.

The Russian versions (usually Bocking #4, and Bocking #14), produce sterile seed. They do not reproduce. They are NOT 'invasive'. They are, however, 'persistent', meaning they are difficult to get rid of.

I had a comfrey (Bocking 14) patch in Tennessee. Started with 31 plants. When I moved to VA five years later, I still had 31 plants.

Bocking comfrey is persistent ... meaning, if I dug up those 31 plants, I'll bet there would be at least 31 new plants in their stead within a few months. Yanking or digging out a comfrey plant will surely result in a few small root pieces being left behind, and even a tiny root piece can (and probably will!) result in a new plant.

Comfrey does NOT send out runners, so no invasiveness in that respect.

I decided a month ago to resume growing comfrey, Bocking #4 this time. I ordered some root cuttings from Coe's Comfrey, as they are by *far* the least expensive I found. Hope the plants come up soon, it's been over a week and I haven't seen a single sign of life.

[Gardeneer]

Sounds like Comfrey is one of those things that you would rather grow in your neighbor's yard. LOL