Comfrey is a highly resilient, biomass producing, pollinator attracting, dynamic accumulator. Not only is it a valuable plant in any garden, it is also remarkably easy to propagate and will stay alive through even the harshest conditions.
Note: There are two main varieties of Comfrey: Common or True Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and Russian, or, Bocking 14 Comfrey. True Comfrey will self seed rapidly and can be hard to control. Russian Comfrey (Symohytum x uplandicum) doesn’t produce a seed and propagates only via root division. While both varieties offer equal benefits, we recommend growing Russian Comfrey so that you are able to contain and restrict its spread to fit your garden design.
What is Comfrey?
Part of the appeal of growing comfrey is the multi-faceted nature of the plant. Comfrey accomplishes three primary functions that every gardener will find helpful.
Dynamic Accumulator
The term dynamic accumulator may sound complicated, however, it simply refers to a plant that can access essential mineral nutrients deep within the soil that would be otherwise unavailable to other plants. Dynamic accumulators, like Comfrey, typically utilize a long taproot to plunge the depths of the ground. Once these nutrients have been accessed, the taproot transports the nutrients upward and deposits them in the surrounding soil, either via root exudates or self-mulching.
Pollinator Attractor
It’s no surprise that every gardener is eager to see bumblebees, butterflies and ladybugs perusing their plants. Pollinators are not only essential to plant fertility, they are also vital to constructing a holistic environment within your garden. Comfrey attracts pollinators through it’s small and charming, purple flowers.
Biomass Producer
Biomass production, again, may sound like an intimidating concept. Biomass producers are able to utilize soil nutrients quickly in their efforts to create above-ground plant mass. Comfrey will grow remarkably fast, even from small root fragments.
Bonus: Highly resilient
A final feature of comfrey that makes it a desirable plant is its ability to survive and thrive in harsh climates—both in excessive heat and low temperatures. Comfrey is also known for surviving through long seasons of drought with little watering—although it will, of course, do best when regularly watered. Finally, comfrey is able to grow in nutrient-replete soils. Because of its nutrient accumulation ability, comfrey is more than capable of finding all the nutrients it needs, on its own.
How to Grow Comfrey
Comfrey is truly one of the simplest and easiest plants to grow. You need as little as a small fragment of a comfrey root to grow an entire plant. If you have a crown or a 1-year-old plant, simply dig a hole large enough for the plant, place the plant in the hole, cover the roots with soil and gently pat the plant down into the ground. Then, give it a thorough watering and your comfrey plant should grow just fine.
If you would like to have more comfrey plants, rather than buying them, you can propagate your existing plants very easily.
Propagation
As was mentioned above, you need only a root fragment to grow a comfrey plant. Similar to dividing up a SCOBY for kombucha or kefir, dividing comfrey plants can make you an almost infinite supply of more plants.
When you dig up a comfrey plant to propagate, try to get as much of the root as possible. From there, you can determine your desired number of plants.
Crowns
If you desire only 3 or 4 plants, you will likely be able to divide a single plant into that many “crowns.” A crown refers to the top of the root where the stem emerges. Crowns produce full comfrey plants quickly—within the same year you plant it.
Root Fragments
You may, however, desire to have many comfrey plants. In this case, you can divide up your root as many times as you want. Keep in mind that the smaller the root fragment, the longer it will take for a full comfrey plant to develop. As a rule of thumb, we tend to cut roots up no shorter than 1 inch.
A 1 inch root fragment will take several years to become well established. A larger root fragment (4-6 inches) will produce a full comfrey plant the following year.
Planting
For planting roots and crowns, dig a hole where you want the plant to grow and toss in the root or place the crown with the stem facing upward. Cover with soil and water thoroughly.
Caution
Be careful where you plant your comfrey. Although this plant is tremendously beneficial, because of its resilience, it is a hard plant to remove. It will be difficult to fully remove by digging it up since even a small part of the root left behind will grow another plant.
The Many Uses of Comfrey
- Fodder – Chickens, pigs, and ruminants love comfrey! Our chickens ate every bit of comfrey we could give them with all the nutrients contained in its leaves.
- Pollinator Attraction – Comfrey is wonderful for attracting pollinating insects to your garden.
- Medicinal Properties – Comfrey has been grown and used for thousands of years. It has been revered as a plant with medicinal qualities dating back to 400 BC. Many have used comfrey to make poultices that can be applied to wounds and broken bones. Be cautious about your consumption of comfrey, however, as there is some controversy about its potentially carcinogenic qualities when eaten in large amounts by humans.
- Chop and Drop – Comfrey is the quintessential “chop and drop” plant. Chop and drop refers to the process of pruning a plant and laying the residue at the base of either the same plant or a nearby plant as a mulch. Ideally, your comfrey is planted nearby other plants—especially perennials (comfrey is an excellent companion plant for fruit trees and bushes)—and can be harvested and immediately laid on the soil surrounding your other plants. As the leaves break down they will release their nutrients to the plant they’ve mulched.
- Compost Activator – Rich in nitrogen, comfrey is a very helpful addition to a compost pile that you are hoping to heat quickly.
- Anaerobic or Aerobic Comfrey Fertilizer Tea – Anaerobic comfrey tea is the easier of the two to make. Collect your comfrey leaves in a bucket or water-carrying device and fill with water. Leave for as little as a week and up to a year to make potent fertilizer. Be sure to dilute this stinky liquid at least 1:10 (tea:water). For older teas use an even heavier dilution (1:100) to be safe. Aerobic Teas are made using a bubbler and typically take a shorter amount of time to ferment.
- Weed Barrier – If you have a neighboring lawn or a weedy field you wish to keep from encroaching on your yard, you can plant comfrey along the border every foot, or so. Once the plant is mature you can stomp it down and the leaf mulch will kill the grass it’s laying on top of, preventing it from spreading any further.
Tip: wear gloves when handling since the leaves/stems have tiny barbs and can give you a skin irritation for an hour or two if handled a lot (could be worse for people with sensitive skin)
With all the many uses of comfrey you really have no reason not to grow this remarkable plant!