Kitchen Garden Forum

Hello, I`ve got two comfrey plants on our allotment, one has white flowers, the other has purpley ones. They were there when I got it so I don`t know what kind they are. They`re about two feet high with a similar spread. What I need to know is - can I increase my stock by splitting them or something or do I have to buy root cuttings which are in the Organic Gardening catalogue. And which is the desirable one?

Both my comfrey patches were started with sections of root taken from an existing bed someone was clearing to errect a greenhouse....they were planted around this time of year and took off vigorously the following year

Thanks - great - I`ll have a bash today!
Any idea if both plants are equally desirable anyone?
Cordially, E.F.

Hi Elderflower,
Please read my comment on the other Comfrey thread a couple down the page.

Thanks Johnboy - I have read your answers on the previous thread. (I always read your answers and learn lots from them ) Does this mean that the one with whitish flowers is no good at all? What about the one with purplish flowers? Neither of the plants seem to be invasive, in that they are confined to one clump each and don`t seem to have moved much. (If that`s what invasive means. )
Cordially, E.F.

Hi Elderflower
The comfrey with the purple flowers is the more desirable one and (in my opinion) the one with the white flowers is just pretty - but loved by the bees equally with the purple one.
The most valuable Comfrey is the 'Bocking 14' strain which doesn't flower (so you would have to buy root cuttings) but I have the one with the purple flowers and I get good results using this, the plants I have are very vigorous. The first cut (of leaves) of the year I use in potato trenches, the second cut I put into a large plastic tub with holes in the bottom and put this into a bucket to collect the 'juice' (it smells horrible!) which I use - diluted one part to ten parts water if its thin and light in colour, if its darker and thicker, then more water - to make a liquid feed - I put any spare juice into a plastic bottle for later use. The next cut goes on the compost heap, and the fourth cut I use to make more 'juice' which I keep over the winter to use next spring and for house plants. This year I have just taken my fourth cut and will probably get another cut at the beginning of October which will go on the compost heap. We had very dry weather here in July, but the comfrey kept growing well, probably because of its deep roots.
I try to stop my plants from flowering, as they will seed in unwanted places (but if it does seed, you can move the resultant plants to where you want them). Comfrey is easy to propagate from pieces of root. Next year, I would wait until the plants are growing vigorously before taking a cutting and probably for the first year its best to only take two or three cuttings of the leaves.
I've had my allotment 15 years and my comfrey was planted (seeds) in my first year and has been going ever since.

Hi EF,
I cannot for sure say that the White Comfrey has no real added nutritional value but certainly the Russian Comfrey is highly nutritious. Bocking 14 is a Russian Variety. Bocking 14 does flower but fails to produce seed. The best time to take scions (as they are called) is when the plant has begun to die back for the winter and again before April of the following year. I really do not think that now is the right time although it is in the nature of the plant to regenerate at most times of the year. I take it that you are not using your Comfrey a present. My Comfrey is planted 2'apart in both directions. That is down the row and between rows.
If, like me, you have sufficient plants to make true Comfrey concentrate this is the one that should be diluted 10:1 (the 10 being the water) that which is made in a bucket really shouldn't need dilution at all. With true concentrate no water is used in it's production only the plants own juices. To make this you need quite a few plants to keep it all topped up.
The advantage of this is that it is not as odoriferous and it can be very easily stored in it's concentrated form ready for the off the next year.
I have been using some this year that has been stored for several years and there appears to be no drop in the nutritional value whatsoever.
I take it that the variety Jea uses is probably not Bocking 14 as it was produced by seed but there are many purple Comfrey's that are almost as good as B14.

Hi Johnboy
My comfrey isn't Bocking 14 but just ordinary 'unbranded' Russian Comfrey. One of my allotment neighbours has a well established bed of Bocking 14 but mine crops more heavily. This may be due to the soil though, he is on a lower part of our allotments where the soil is lighter and easier to work whereas my comfrey bed is at the high end of my plot where there is only about eight inches of good soil and then its really thick yellow clay and the comfrey roots go into this.
Jea

Whew I am so glad you said that JB. My Bocking flowers (blue!) if I let it - but it doesn't get the chance now, because it's scythed off <5 times per year I grow borage for the bees to compensate

Thanks very much folks! I think I`ll order some root cuttings from the Organic Gardening catalogue because it sounds as though it`s a real wonder plant.
I`ll make a note of the different ways of using it for when I get a thriving colony!
Best wishes all,
E.F.

Hello Elderflower,
When I bought my comfrey roots from the Organic Catalogue, I also got the little book (16 pages) Step by Step - Comfrey. It's only £1.35 and I found it very useful as someone who has never grown or used comfrey before.

Thanks Belinda - I`ll do that! Cheers, E.F.

Hi Elderflower, I found this pic of cut (front) and uncut (rear) Bocking comfrey on my plot earlier in the year, cut has grown back after about a fortnight - of interest?