Comfrey

What Is Comfrey Information For Growing Comfrey Plants

What Is Comfrey Information For Growing Comfrey Plants

Comfrey is a herbaceous perennial herb originating in Europe. It has large, hairy leaves and grows in a rosette to 1 m in height. The mauve flowers are bell-like and borne in clusters. Comfrey rarely flowers in subtropical and tropical areas as there isn't sufficient winter chill to induce flowering.

  1. Where is the best place to grow comfrey?
  2. Which plants like comfrey feed?
  3. Is Comfrey easy to grow?
  4. Why is comfrey illegal?
  5. Is Comfrey an invasive plant?
  6. Is Comfrey poisonous to dogs?
  7. What is comfrey for?
  8. What is comfrey fertilizer good for?
  9. What is comfrey good for in the garden?
  10. Which Comfrey is best?
  11. Is comfrey a good companion plant?
  12. How does Comfrey spread?
  13. Is Comfrey good for wrinkles?
  14. What are the benefits of comfrey tea?
  15. What is the difference between Comfrey and borage?
  16. How is comfrey invasive?
  17. How do I get rid of comfrey in my garden?
  18. What do you do with comfrey flowers?
  19. Is Comfrey poisonous to animals?
  20. Will chickens eat comfrey?
  21. Is Lavender poisonous for dogs?

Where is the best place to grow comfrey?

Comfrey can grow in full sun to partial shade, meaning it needs at least three hours of direct sunlight on most days. In the warmer parts of its growing zones, plant it where it will get shade from the strong afternoon sun.

Which plants like comfrey feed?

It's especially rich in potassium, making it the ideal feed to promote flowers and fruits in a range of plants, including tomatoes.

Is Comfrey easy to grow?

While true comfrey can spread easily, Russian comfrey has sterile seed, so it won't take over the garden. That benefit, plus the fact that it is a vigorous grower, is why many permaculture gardeners grow it as biomass for mulch or green manure.

Why is comfrey illegal?

It's considered unsafe, due to the pyrrolizidine alkaloids that comfrey contains. These are dangerous chemicals that can cause cancer, severe liver damage, and even death when you consume them. For this reason, the Food and Drug Administration and European countries have banned oral comfrey products.

Is Comfrey an invasive plant?

Between the self-seeding and root regrowth, comfrey can become invasive. There is a sterile species of comfrey, Symphytum x uplandicum 'Bocking 14', which eliminates the self-seeding problem in the garden. Comfrey is a very fast growing plant.

Is Comfrey poisonous to dogs?

Although comfrey also contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, primarily on the root, which cause liver problems when ingested in large quantities. If your dog has arthritis, you could opt to use alfalfa.

What is comfrey for?

Comfrey is an herbal supplement used for conditions such as bronchitis, bruises (topical use), cancer, cough (persistent), fractures (topical use), peptic ulcer, rheumatism, skin ulcers (topical use), sprains (topical use), wound healing (topical use), gastritis, ulcers, excessive menstrual flow, and to gargle for gum ...

What is comfrey fertilizer good for?

Comfrey out-performs manure, compost and many liquid feeds for concentration of nutrients. It produces these from a deep root system extending right into the subsoil that most edible plants cannot access. It also has an ideal Carbon:Nitrogen ratio which means that it does not hamper absorption of nitrogen by plants.

What is comfrey good for in the garden?

Mulching is a great way to protect soil and prevent erosion. Mulching with comfrey—also called chop-and-drop—can help to retain moisture and protect beneficial soil organisms. Comfrey mulch decomposes quickly, which activates soil microbes.

Which Comfrey is best?

Garden comfrey has a higher nutrient content than the common wild comfrey, and its leaves can be cut several times in a season. Our research found that the 'Bocking 14' variety is the best. Available from The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Garden Organic members get a 10% discount.

Is comfrey a good companion plant?

Comfrey should ideally be grown as a stand alone plant as it grows quite large and can be invasive. That being said, growing comfrey close to your vegetables and allowing it to flower will attract many pollinating insects.

How does Comfrey spread?

Tuberous Comfrey has creamy white flowers. Vegetative growth does not cease with the start of flowering, and the plant will add new stems continuously during the growing season. Most comfrey plants can be somewhat invasive spreading via seed, to parts of the garden where they are not wanted.

Is Comfrey good for wrinkles?

Scientists have recently discovered that a compound found in the common comfrey plant can help to keep skin youthful and less susceptible to the formation of wrinkles. ... The comfrey plant contains several beneficial compounds which help to revive tired, aged, wrinkled skin.

What are the benefits of comfrey tea?

Comfrey is used as a tea for upset stomach, ulcers, heavy menstrual periods, diarrhea, bloody urine, persistent cough, painful breathing (pleuritis), bronchitis, cancer, and chest pain (angina). It is also used as a gargle for gum disease and sore throat.

What is the difference between Comfrey and borage?

Growing Borage

One of the biggest differences between comfrey and borage is that comfrey is a perennial while borage is an annual. ... Sow borage seeds in full sun and well-drained soil.

How is comfrey invasive?

Comfrey is not invasive, but…

Comfrey is not an invasive plant. It does not send out runners or vines to take over garden beds or lawns like our morning glory and buttercup does. Most varieties of comfrey also do not set seed (including the comfrey we have growing on our property).

How do I get rid of comfrey in my garden?

You can get rid of comfrey in your garden by using organic acids like acetic acid and citric acid. You can uproot or dig the plant out of the ground and use it in compost, mulch, or liquid fertilizer. Or you can use a chemical like Glyphosate to get rid of the comfrey plant.

What do you do with comfrey flowers?

Here are some of the most popular uses of the comfrey plant.

  1. As a compost activator. ...
  2. To improve compacted soil. ...
  3. Steep comfrey leaves to make a liquid fertilizer. ...
  4. Use comfrey leaves as green manure and mulch. ...
  5. Medicinal topical remedies. ...
  6. Use in creams and infused oils.

Is Comfrey poisonous to animals?

Comfrey has been consumed by humans as a vegetable and a tea and used as an herbal medicine for more than 2000 years. Comfrey, however, produces hepatotoxicity in livestock and humans and carcinogenicity in experimental animals.

Will chickens eat comfrey?

Comfrey is a must have plant for the sustainable homestead. Like the chicken, Comfrey has many beneficial uses. It's edible, medicinal, is a great nitrogen source for the compost pile, and it's a low fiber, high protein feed for chickens and other livestock.

Is Lavender poisonous for dogs?

Lavender, the plant, does contain a small amount of a compound called linalool, which is toxic to both dogs and cats. The linalool is found in such small concentrations, however, that this is rarely an issue. Problems arise only if a dog ingests a very large quantity of lavender.

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