Russian Comfrey Fert

Growop101

Well-Known Member
so you use russian comfrey tea with bio canna? thats what gets your large yields? is this bio canna completly organic? does your bud taste gross like fert. after dryed?

And can u start comfrey the same time you start your erb plants and still be able to harvest comfrey early enough to use for fertaliser??

BioCanna and molasses in the last month of flowering.

This BioCanna:
View attachment 1109703
 

Growop101

Well-Known Member
when you "tie them down" you just put tention on the branches downward? pull em out rom each other a little bit? let more sun inside the mass of vegetation? Cause i always see big bushes like those and wonder how they were made? I always thought they were just topped a bunch of times...
Yes, next time I go upstairs I´ll have a read.

Photograph today, flowering coming on well, lots of big colas coming on this WW, she is tied down, helps all the branches make like the main cola.

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Wetdog

Well-Known Member
Comfrey arrived today! Time to plant.

Wet
Well, in just a bit over 3 months, I've harvested the plants 4 times. This stuff is amazing! You can cut it down to ground level and in 2 weeks it looks just like it did before the cut.

The worms love it and will do the FPE on the next harvest.

Wet
 

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
Well, in just a bit over 3 months, I've harvested the plants 4 times. This stuff is amazing! You can cut it down to ground level and in 2 weeks it looks just like it did before the cut.

The worms love it and will do the FPE on the next harvest.

Wet
An old thread, I know, but relevant with all the comfrey interest as of late. Plus, now I know for certain just how old my comfrey bed is. Be 6 years this coming May.

Never did do the FPE. Just too easy to feed it to the worms and then use the VC.

Wet
 

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
An old thread, I know, but relevant with all the comfrey interest as of late. Plus, now I know for certain just how old my comfrey bed is. Be 6 years this coming May.

Never did do the FPE. Just too easy to feed it to the worms and then use the VC.

Wet
I've done the FPE a couple times, not worth the effort and smell, like you said, the plants LOVE it as a topdress, possibly the most perfect topdress ever
that being said, my jasmine and lavender exploded with flowers after I gave em a good strong dose of dandelion and comfrey FPE
 

kkt3

Well-Known Member
You are right Grease, fresh chopped comfrey and fresh ewc as a topdress for the young ladies. It don't get any better then that. I transplanted a couple comfrey plants last year into my back yard. But just a 20 minute drive to this comfrey patch yields me as much fresh comfrey as I need. I have enough so that I can add it to my worm bins over the winter months. It is a dynamic accumulator and feeds the ladies very well.
 

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kkt3

Well-Known Member
Comfrey is a particularly valuable source of fertility to the organic gardener. It is very deep rooted and acts as a dynamic accumulator,[6] mining a host of nutrients from the soil. These are then made available through its fast-growing leaves (up to 1.8–2.3 kilograms (4.0–5.1 lb) per plant per cut) which, lacking fibres, quickly break down to a thick black liquid. There is also no risk of nitrogen robbery when comfrey is dug into the soil as the C:N ratio of the leaves is lower than that of well-rotted compost. Comfrey is an excellent source of potassium, an essential plant nutrient needed for flower, seed and fruit production. Its leaves contain 2–3 times more potassium than farmyard manure, mined from deep in the subsoil, tapping into reserves that would not normally be available to plants.[7]

There are various ways in which comfrey can be used as a fertilizer. These include:[8][9]

  • Comfrey as a compost activator – include comfrey in the compost heap to add nitrogen and help to heat the heap. Comfrey should not be added in quantity as it will quickly break down into a dark sludgy liquid that needs to be balanced with more fibrous, carbon-rich material.
  • Comfrey liquid fertilizer – can be produced by either rotting leaves down in rainwater for 4–5 weeks to produce a ready-to-use "comfrey tea", or by stacking dry leaves under a weight in a container with a hole in the base. When the leaves decompose a thick black comfrey concentrate is collected. This must be diluted at 15:1 before use.
  • Comfrey as a mulch or side dressing – a two-inch layer of comfrey leaves placed around a crop will slowly break down and release plant nutrients; it is especially useful for crops that need extra potassium, such as fruit bearers but also reported to do well for potatoes. Comfrey can be slightly wilted before application optionally but either way, avoid using flowering stems as these can root.
  • Comfrey as a companion plant for trees and other perennials – soil tests confirm[10] that soil nutrients increase in the presence of comfrey even when it is not used as mulch, side dressing, or liquid fertilizer, but just allowed to grow.
  • Comfrey potting mixture – originally devised to utilize peat, now environmental awareness has led to a leaf mold-based alternative being adopted instead; two-year-old, well decayed leaf mold should be used, this will absorb the nutrient-rich liquid released by the decaying comfrey. In a black plastic sack alternate 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in) layers of leaf mold and chopped comfrey leaves. Add a little dolomitic limestone to slightly raise pH. Leave for between 2–5 months depending on the season, checking that it does not dry out or become too wet. The mixture is ready when the comfrey leaves have rotted and are no longer visible. Use as a general potting compost, although it is too strong for seedlings.[
 

ShLUbY

Well-Known Member
just ordered me one of them comfrey bocking 14 roots today! I'm ready to grow some of this stuff. I have been wanting a source of potassium for my mix and this seems to be a good one, plus all the other beneficials that it contains, and hell i might even make some of the tea too!

best of all... its free after one purchase of a root!!

Can any of you tell me if the roots can survive a frozen ground in these cold ass MI winters, or will I have to mulch the hell out of the patch to ensure survival....???
 

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
Not quite as cold as MI, but it overwinters nicely here (zone 7A).

What I do is, make the last harvest before the first frost and then let the first killing freeze knock down whatever growth to benefit the plant. When it's killed to ground level, I'll apply alfalfa, or manure, or, whatever's handy and then mulch on top of that. Sometimes pine bark mulch, sometimes leaves. Again, whatever's handy, comfrey is not very particular.

It does love plenty of water while growing, if you have a low or damp spot in the yard. It's nearly impossible to over water during the warmer months. Just be very sure of the location, because it's there to stay.

HTH

Wet
 
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