Comfrey leaves

Discussion in 'Compost, Fertilisers & Recycling' started by firsttimer, Jul 2, 2011.

  1. firsttimer

    firsttimer Gardener

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    Does anybody out there use comfrey leaves as a liquid fertiliser. And if you do what sort of results does it give you.
    Terry
     
  2. Scrungee

    Scrungee Well known for it

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    I've big beds of both comfrey and nettles and several ex-cold water storage tanks in which I steep the entire plants (stems and leaves) making the liquid feed as strong as possible, then diluting to the colour of tea. I also hang ex-onion sacks of well rotted horse poo in the tanks (sheep poo is also good stuff). The residue left after all the feed has gone is used as a mulch.

    I believe they all work as well as expensive shop bought products, and it's free (my favourite price), but it really does stink. So I don't use it on stuff like salad leaves shortly before eating, and it can get rather smelly if used on poly tunnel borders in hot weather, etc. I was using it earlier this afternoon and my wife has just confirmed she can smell it on me.

    You can also chuck pernicious weeds/roots into a bucket of water to rot and make feed, plus there's another source of free plant food, 'Liquid Gold' - Google ISBN 9781903998489.
     
  3. Stingo

    Stingo Gardener

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    Yes i do it too but not on such a big scale as Scrungee. I just use the leaves in a bucket filled half full with cold water. I'm just about to plant some russion comfry in a small patch in my garden too. It sure smells! but good free stuff. Think I will start using the stems too.
     
  4. Scrungee

    Scrungee Well known for it

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  5. Scrungee

    Scrungee Well known for it

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    My comfrey water is so strong it's killed the rat-tailed maggots!

    [​IMG]

    But also means I now have to undergo a deep cleansing session after using it.
     
  6. Stingo

    Stingo Gardener

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    OMG they are gross, hope theres none of them in mine!!
     
  7. joolz68

    joolz68 Total Gardener

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    ive just been searching on ebay as i was thinking of getting more comfrey plants,i only have 1 which is over abused for my tomato plants :) ...but i find on there that there are 2 differant kinds ?bocking 14 and symphytum officinale ?? does anybody know if 1 is better than the other please?:) thanks x
     
  8. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    Hi Joolz,

    For composting/liquid fertilizer then Bocking 14 is the best, it is more vigourous and it doesn't produce seed, so it is well behaved and hardly spreads. The other one does produce lots of seed and is quite invasive, once you let it into your garden it is very difficult to get rid of.

    :thumbsup:
     
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    • Grumpy

      Grumpy Gardener

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      In the Weekend television guide, published with the Daily Mail on Saturday, Monty Don writes a gardening page, and this week is about using comfrey leaf ' tea '.



      My interest wained when I got to the bit where he said -

      :stirpot:

      :heehee:
       
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