Growing comfrey for wildlife (bees) and fertiliser (tea). Several questions...

Hi

A confession first - I have written and asked about this a few years back, but things have changed, including forum members coming and going, so I wanted to ask afresh...

I have some comfrey growing in the garden. I think it is Bocking 14 but can't be sure. I predominantly want to use it for comfrey tea, but seeing how much the bees love it I want to make the best of that aspect too.

If it's ok, I'm just going to splurge a bunch of questions whirling inside my head. Apologies for asking so much. If any comfrey experts are able to help that would be great, but equally any help on *any* of the questions - or general discussion around the topics - would be much appreciated.

1. Is there any sure way to tell whether what I have is B14?
2. If it isn't B14, how quickly - and how far and wide - would it have spread in the last 5 years?
3. If it isn't B14, at what stage would the seeds be able to germinate new plants?
4. I've read that the plants are most "nutritious" just as the flowers are forming. By waiting until after this stage, to allow bees to do their thing, how much of this plant "nutrition" is lost and how will it effect the tea?
5. If I cannot determine for sure whether it's B14, when making the tea, is there a method I can use that will allow me to use the whole plant (not roots) without risking spreading the seed and a potential invasion? To date I have nipped off all flowers and seeds before soaking in water, but time is increasingly limited nowadays so being able to use the whole plant would be much preferred.


Huge thanks

 

If it isn't Bocking 14 it will spread rapidly by seed but they also spread by their roots. The flowers usually come in spring so just cut back the entire plant once the flowers are over and then make your tea. If you scatter over some pelleted chicken manure or other general fertiliser and water the plants they will recover quickly.

Making the tea by soaking your trimmings in water will kill off any seeds. Just immerse them in water and cover with a lid for the smell and leave for at least 2 weeks. Strain into containers and bung the goo on the compost heap. Dilue your tea as needed to feed flowering and fruiting plants which like a high P and K ratio in their feeds. Leafy plants are better fed with nettle tea as that's rich in nitrogen.

 

We purchased some Bocking 14 at the start of the year from the link below and they arrived as really good plants, all growing well and alreadly cut them back twice this year.
5 Large Strong Comfrey plants, Bocking 14, Root and Crown. Free Post. | eBay

For the price might be worth getting some to be sure yours are Bockings.

We use old plastic 20/25 ltr brew bins for making the tea, but be sure to use a lid as it smells a bit !

 

I use a 200l water barrel that I stuff full and then used to fill with water and leave for a few weeks before using. With the pandemic, we bought a composting toilet that provides a ready supply of urine. I now still fill the barrel with comfrey but top up with urine instead of water. Funnily enough, the mix smells a lot less than comfry with just water. And I got bumper crops of veg. this year, tomatoes, onions (from seed sown boxing day largest 1.1kg and loads over 0.5kg) and beautiful caulis.

 

We have non bocking 14 down our allotment and if yours isn't b14 then you would clearly see comfrey popping up all over the place. If it is b14 then it will spread but outwards, rather than popping up randomly, several feet away.

I use all the above growth of our plants and do it just after flowering. It gets chopped up and squashed down before topping up with water. I don't remove the old material from the container when removing water, just top up with more comfrey and water. I do this because over time the old material continues to breakdown and with the new material constantly added, you get an ever increasing potent mixture that you need to dilute more. This follows the jadam method.

 

Bocking 14 as said is sterile so you need to propagate it by root cuttings or dividing existing clumps