Other ways of using Comfrey

[Johnboy]

Bocking 14 will not set seed in UK but I took some to SW France where it did. So if the right conditions get together there is no reason why it cannot set seed here. All that can be said is that it is certainly not like Bocking 4 which spreads by seed at a very rapid rate.
The answer is NOT to let it seed and to use every scrap of foliage for the reason you are growing it for. You should get 5 cuts per annum.
Bocking 14 should be grow at 24" centres. This means 24" between plants and 24" between rows and as the plants mature they fill that space.
It can be propagated by root cuttings and division. Division is a bit drastic because you lose production for a year but root cuttings are very easy to produce. Sometimes you can divide a plant without actually having to dig whole the plant up by digging around about a quarter of the plant and cutting scions in situ you then do not lose production.
My entire growing system revolves around the use of Comfrey and I have been using it since the late 1950's.
JB.

[snooky]

My late Father-in-law used to 'cook' it to extract the oils and then add these oils to vaseline and vitamin 'E' to make an ointment which was used to heal cuts and bruise etc.

[Nature's Babe]

Thank you Johnboy, as you say we must have had the right conditions, good to see you back again. and thank you for the helpful advice on taking root cuttings.
Snooky, that's interesting, it used to be used as a healing herb.

[Elle's Garden]

Once again, thanks one and all, and nice to see you back JB.

[Johnboy]

Hi Snooky,
My mother made a healing ointment by using the Roots and the hoary older leaves of Comfrey. She used to take one third of a plant using a sharp spade and once cutting her 'wedge' as she called it she then dug down and removed the wedge in it's entirety. The older leaves were taken and the roots trimmed to make what we call now a Scion which was replanted to grow away again. The roots she took were then crushed and cut into small pieces and then pressed with the leaves and there was no boiling. The resultant 'goo' was strained through a Muslin cloth and was worked into some Vaseline and was good for many things. Cuts and abraisions healed very quickly and when I was very young I had a kind of boil in my ear which was treated and healed in double quick time. Even the Doctor who had poured scorn on her ointment actually wanted some for himself and became a convert!
JB.

[nemo]

BOCKING 14 IS STERILE SO IT CANNOT SPREAD BY SEED IT WILL MULTIPLY LIKE CHIVES AND GET BIGGER AND BIGGER PLANTS EACH YEAR
NEMO

[Johnboy]

Hi Nemo,
I only have Bocking 14 plants and this is what I said earlier on in the thread and I stand by what I have said.
"Bocking 14 will not set seed in UK but I took some to SW France where it did. So if the right conditions get together there is no reason why it cannot set seed here. All that can be said is that it is certainly not like Bocking 4 which spreads by seed at a very rapid rate."
And for your information I was one of the very first people to get Bocking 14 in the country because I worked on the project!
JB.

[Johnboy]

I came across this website when looking for something else and thought it quite interesting.
http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/comfrey/index.php
JB.

[nemo]

very interesting link Johnboy but i still stand by what i said bocking 14 is sterile.maybe one of the root cuttings you got was regular comfrey when you planted them .but in fairness there is always one plant that wont do what is expected from it
nemo

[Johnboy]

Hi Nemo,
I am more than interested where your information comes from regarding Bocking 14 being sterile.
JB.

[nemo]

i thought it was common knowledge that bocking 14 comfrey is sterile i found several reference's about bocking 14 being sterile the following is from winipedia there are a few links below also.

Comfrey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Bocking 14 is sterile, and therefore will not set seed (one of its advantages over other cultivars as it will not spread out of control), thus is propagated from root cuttings. The gardener can produce their own ‘offsets’ from mature, strongly growing plants by driving a spade horizontally through the leaf clumps about 3 inches below the soil surface. This removes the crown, which can then be split into pieces. The original plant will quickly recover, and each piece can be replanted with the growing points just below the soil surface, and will quickly grow into new plants. When choosing plants to divide, ensure that they are strong healthy specimens with no signs of rust or mildew. When dividing comfrey plants, take care not to spread root fragments around, or dispose of on the compost heap, as each can re-root, and comfrey can be a very difficult plant to get rid of. Offsets can also be purchased by mail order from specialist nurseries in order to initially build up a stock of plants.

Green manure | Plants | Gardening Blog | Talk | BBC Gardeners' Wo
neohumanism.org/c/co/comfrey.html
www.wildlifegardeners.org/forum/heirl
www.horizonherbs.com/product.asp%3Fsp
reviews.ebay.ie/Comfrey-Bocking-14
www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/comfre

[alan refail]

Morning Johnboy and Nemo

I quote from HDRA's "Comfrey for Gardeners":

"Bocking 14, in contrast to the wild comfrey, produces very little viable seed, making it more suitable for gardens" (my bold)

"Very little viable seed" is not the same as "sterile" and would certainly explain why it might well produce more viable seed in a climate it was not developed for, e.g. southern France.

As Bocking 14 was developed by Lawrence D Hills, I take the above statement as definitive.

In contrast the Wikipedia article carries the standard warning :
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2010)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfrey#Propagation

[Johnboy]

Hi Alan,
Not too happy with the Wikipedia article because it is full of minor faults.
These faults do not really change anything so probably left alone and if I were to change them I could be challenged as being petty but true.
Certainly there was a Cancer scare but you will note that injection given to rats were 100% of one of the minor ingredients found in Comfrey.
(Arsenic will kill you outright yet is found in most things we actually eat.
If you get my drift.)
I used to grow Bocking 4 in large quantities but ceased over 20 years ago and it was all killed off because of interference by the Local Authority.
In the Wiki article they don't actually say that to get a large quantity Comfrey is best propagated by root cutting. Comfrey will limit it's own growth if planted 24" apart both ways to a degree. The plants, after about 3 years, will fill the entire gap and it is after about 5 years that the plant roots will start to mingle underground. Only then should any thinning be done. A 12" trench dug between plants and as much of the root taken out will suffice for another 5 years or so. The roots that come out can be used as cuttings to make fresh plants or crushed and drowned to make a good liquid fertilizer with the residue put on the compost heap. After drowning the roots will go black and will not regenerate but can be left until they finally disappear.
Wiki did confirm one thing that, my mother, who made her ointment from the roots, was correct.
You will note that they say not to put too much into your compost pile at any given time because it turns to liquid. Well my use of pulverized straw makes use of it turning to liquid and the pulverized straw actually absorbs the liquid which then is left to mature for a year and the result is wonderful rich compost rather like a dark Somerset Peat.
Used as a seeding compound the nutrients are not needed but are not taken up until the seedling is ready to do so and as a potting on mixture it is magic!
JB.

[snooky]

Comfrey Cream

To make an ointment to use externally, take 1 cup of finely cut comfrey root and simmer in 1 cup of olive oil until it starts to soften. Cool and strain. Add 50g of beeswax (usually available from supermarkets). Jasmine or orange blossoms may be added to the simmering mixture, to give the cream a pleasant smell. The cream is used to relieve pain and aid healing of cuts, bites, sprains, arthritis, dry vaginal conditions, inflammation and neuralgia.

[nemo]

my next source of information is very well known and is very important to most gardeners in gerenal.on page 206 of the encyclopedia of organic gardening by HDRA.i bought the book a few years ago so its newish.the following is what is printed on page 206.
COMFREY IS A FAST GROWING HARDY PERENNIAL , GROWING UP TO 1M TALL.THE CULTIVAR:BOCKING 14: WAS SELECTED BY LAWRENCE D, HILLS, THE FOUNDER OF HDRA AND ONE OF THE POINERS OF ORGANIC GARDENING :BOCKING 14 IS HIGH YEALDING AND HAS A PARTICULUARY HIGH POTASH CONTENT.
IT DOES NOT SET SEED, NOR DOES IT HAVE A CREEPING ROOT_FEATURES OF OTHER SPECIES OF COMFREY THAT ENABLES THEM TO SPREAD RAPIDLY

nemo