Growing and using comfrey - a free fertiliser to supercharge your garden | Permaculture food forest

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  • Опубліковано 25 лют 2023
  • You might have heard Comfrey being thrown around as a permaculture buzz word and as a free free fertiliser you can grow yourself! And what is comfrey tea? In this video I will explain everything you need to know about Comfrey: What it is, why you should be growing it? and my top tips on how to harness comfrey to supercharge your garden.
    Article growing guide: melbournefoodforest.com.au/20...
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 82

  • @helentc
    @helentc День тому +6

    It's very important to note that Comfrey is not meant for internal use and not even on deep wounds. It is an EXCELLENT wound healer, so much so, that for deep wounds it will heal the surface of the wound before the inside can heal. This leaves you ;-) with the risk of an abscess as it can seal the infection in. It is also excellent to heal broken bones, just use it as an external compress. Best to read up on Comfrey before using it as medicine. It is definitely one to have in your garden.

  • @trumpetingangel
    @trumpetingangel 9 місяців тому +30

    It certainly is a darling of permaculture devotees (and I am one). But testing has shown that dandelion and nettle have more minerals than comfrey. Nothing wrong with comfrey, but add some dandelions and/or nettle to your "tea" and you'll have an even better fertilizer.

    • @saspringle9743
      @saspringle9743 3 місяці тому +4

      Thanks for this extra tip! I love dandelion and nettle!!!

    • @dougbas3980
      @dougbas3980 3 дні тому +2

      much appreciated.

    • @fancythat5136
      @fancythat5136 3 дні тому +3

      The comfrey in my garden has supercharged 2 Dandelion plants to grow almost 6 ft tall…

  • @cynthiacollins2668
    @cynthiacollins2668 7 днів тому +6

    I love adding the little flowers as a salad topper! They are delicious and often sweet. 😋

  • @roseannewood1241
    @roseannewood1241 3 місяці тому +5

    my mother mangled her hand by grabbing a hedge trimmer by the blades while it was on. she would have needed many stitches. instead she put comfrey leaves on her hand wrapped in bandages. she did this for a month. her hand has no sign of scarring or damage.

    • @ccccclark2605
      @ccccclark2605 2 дні тому

      WOW. Tks for sharing!
      I'll try it! ❤

  • @phyllismaston7345
    @phyllismaston7345 15 годин тому +1

    What kind of chickens are you raising? Love to hear their chatter in the background! 😊

  • @richarddaniel2416
    @richarddaniel2416 8 місяців тому +12

    I used to use comfrey tea in my hydroponics system, fantastic. Nothing else was required. My chickens loved the fresh leaves, which I gave them a few leaves almost daily. Needless to say we had healthy chickens and never missed a day with out one egg per chook, for years and years.

  • @dyanarobenalt2849
    @dyanarobenalt2849 5 годин тому

    You are amazing and thank you for all you’re doing for the collective! This is fantastic and I’ll be working in making Nettle and Comfrey tea as you’re describing. Can’t wait!

  • @marthaleyshock8532
    @marthaleyshock8532 2 дні тому +3

    I use it for swelling and pain. I use some leaves and roots in 90% or higher rubbing alcohol. Let it set for six months. It turns a beautiful green. I Use it topically for arthritis swelling and pain. 👍🏻

  • @ccccclark2605
    @ccccclark2605 2 дні тому +1

    ❤ ty! From centeal tx

  • @roverinosnarkman7240
    @roverinosnarkman7240 20 днів тому +3

    Be careful where you place comfrey because it is very difficult to kill it if you change your mind. I have hundreds and hundreds of them. They are impossible to dig up completely because every tiny root fragment you leave behind will become another comfrey plant. I dug up one plant four years ago to fix a water line and now I have more than 20 comfrey plants in that spot, despite being careful to try to dig up the original plant completely. You can cut the roots up into 1 inch segments, and even the tiniest fragments will result in a new plant. If you aren’t in a hurry, buy one plant and propagate it by digging it up after one year, chopping up the roots, and planting each root fragment a couple of inches deep. You can even plant these fragments directly into sod and they will grow. Plant them at least two and a half feet away from the edge you want. Once they grow, they flop over and nothing grows under it (100% shade). They also act as a very effective rhizome barrier. Tough rhizomatous grasses can’t breach a solid wall of comfrey. Plant them about a half foot apart and they will create a Great Wall. I agree that you can chop and drop several times during the growing season. Bocking 14 Comfrey is very tough and has sterile seed. Very useful plant.

  • @danydany5893
    @danydany5893 8 місяців тому +8

    bonjour -my english is very very bad -so i write in french--pour avoir de la consoude gratuitement dans votre jardin allez en campagne avec un bon outil de jardinage et extirpez des morceaux de racines de 5 à 10 cm--vous les planterez horizontalement et vous en aurez 9 sur 10 à réussir--i "love " comfrey -so beautiful and so useful
    i live in bretagne -rennes --and i have a very very small garden 😀

  • @webbfamilyau
    @webbfamilyau 4 місяці тому +7

    I am so thankful to have found you. I am a fellow Aussie, so seeing you grow all this food is so encouraging. Where would you recommend I start watching your videos? We have 4 vegie beds all set up and would like to grow veggies for a family of 6. We also have an acre and a half, in a city so we want to grow fruits and berries too. I am so excited. Thanks, Fiona.

  • @sovereignsoul
    @sovereignsoul Місяць тому +3

    New to your channel and subscribed because you are informative and succinct. Your aussie accent and unpretentious good looks and mannerisms are also delightful and non-abrasive. Kudos!

  • @teecee3143
    @teecee3143 5 місяців тому +5

    I make a balm from comfrey and use the flowers of the borage when I have a cough or cold to relieve it

  • @dougbas3980
    @dougbas3980 3 дні тому +3

    Very helpful. The comfrey tea is new for me. We feed comfrey to our chickens as well. I have always used it as a compost additive. Such a useful plant.

  • @judithmcdonald9001
    @judithmcdonald9001 2 дні тому +3

    Wonderful video. I love the Ausies--SE Asia and Great Britain. Who still says "fortnight"??? I had to think back on that one since it's never used in the States anymore, but maybe I'll change that!!!. Love it! Gardening is universal and so are the descriptions. Getting out to chop comfrey now!

  • @mssavedin92
    @mssavedin92 2 дні тому +1

    Fantastic! What an absolutely beautiful garden.

  • @kathyhirsch379
    @kathyhirsch379 9 місяців тому +7

    new sub from Melbourne so happy i found another gardener from M hope you have lots of good ideas

  • @cheezy1969
    @cheezy1969 Місяць тому +12

    There's one more benefit and use of Comfrey that you have sadly missed. Your wonderful feathered girls that I can hear in the background of this video absolutely love to eat comfrey and their droppings help feed the Comfrey. Don't worry about them harming the Comfrey just plant it up against their walls as it is such a great source of food.

  • @reginaldanglin4264
    @reginaldanglin4264 9 днів тому +3

    Thank you. Hook on comfrey 😅 ❤ from Chicago. Most definitely will subscribe to your channel.

  • @andreaivey6025
    @andreaivey6025 11 місяців тому +6

    Thank you for such an informative video. I have Comfrey seeds so will wait until late winter and plant them. I will use it for balms, fertiliser and compost enhancer. I knew I was onto a winner with my research.

    • @AcornHillHomestead
      @AcornHillHomestead 11 місяців тому +4

      Have patience with the seeds. I planted 12 and got three seedlings. They were planted in the garden as babies two weeks ago. Its amazing how fast they grow once in the ground. I water them every day as its 90+ in upper midwest US and very little rain in 6-7 weeks. They are doing fantastic. I fussed over them as seedlings and it paid off. Got my seeds from etsy but I hear root cuttings work best to propagate. Good luck!! 😉

    • @dougbas3980
      @dougbas3980 3 дні тому

      @@AcornHillHomestead yes root cuttings are great. Once you have a few going, propagation is a breeze.

  • @foxieseller
    @foxieseller 2 місяці тому +2

    I’ve grown comfrey for several years in my south Alabama, USA raised beds. They are definitely a fruit multiplier. My jalapeño plant had more peppers than I ever thought possible. The cherry tomatoes were nearly unstoppable. But my question is, will it self pollinate in a greenhouse? My comfrey plants are flowering well, but pollinators aren’t able to get inside the greenhouse.

  • @alicecowan3499
    @alicecowan3499 2 місяці тому +3

    I’m so glad I found you!❤

  • @minglebong
    @minglebong Рік тому +6

    Hi Jian, I have been watching for quite some time and I can't even remember if I had commented before! 😅 I have been waiting and waiting for a garden tour especially your vegetable garden. Since last year in fact! Except for a few other gardening channels, I have suddenly develop perverse allegy to watching more tomatoes, cabbage, carrots.. (ok, I lied, I still watch them!) Since I'm from Malaysia, I do love seeing the Asian mix in your garden. Love your shark fin melons and chokos btw! I've planted some winter melon before and gave all but one away. But in the end it ended up in the compost pile. Planted the shark fin melon but they died. Ugh.. I have a few more seeds left, will try to plant it again after the tromboncino. Anyway, hope to see your vegetable garden tour before the season ends!

  • @grahamdavey3597
    @grahamdavey3597 11 місяців тому +4

    Thank you for your, helpful advice, i look forward to watching more videos.

  • @swayzecrazy420
    @swayzecrazy420 10 місяців тому +2

    Wow i seen it in the backyard and front yards in my area. Thanks for the advice and information

  • @sarah-janeboehm5547
    @sarah-janeboehm5547 Рік тому +3

    Thank you for another great video! I have heard you mention comfrey before and I have been on the lock out. I now have 3 plants ready to be planted under my fruit trees. Your garden is my main inspiration!

  • @freddieivory625
    @freddieivory625 Рік тому +2

    Great tips, love your video, thanks for sharing

  • @janmclellan8963
    @janmclellan8963 8 місяців тому +7

    Thank you for your wonderful video I am growing comfrey now in fall in some water jugs and I am seeing good results Jan from Vancouver Island BC

    • @dougbas3980
      @dougbas3980 3 дні тому

      once you get some going, it propagates very well and hard to kill. But it is so useful, that is a good thing.😃

  • @AcornHillHomestead
    @AcornHillHomestead 11 місяців тому +4

    I have three of these plants growing from seeds. Im shocked at how puny these were two weeks ago and how big they are now. There is a huge patch of these growing wild a mile from me next to a parking lot. I should ask if I can have a few cuttings. Awesome video. So appreciate this. Im thrilled to get away from commercial fertilizers. I knew God had this amazing plant for this. They are quite neat looking and pretty in flower, albeit large when mature. I have all three of mine on a veg bed edge and will make a place for it near my flower beds when they are large enough to take cuttings.

  • @lwallace3842
    @lwallace3842 Місяць тому +1

    I am new to your channel thank you for the information

  • @veronicabaker7730
    @veronicabaker7730 Рік тому +2

    Another wonderful video. The presentation is excellent and tremendously informative. Tomorrow I’m making tea!

  • @GrowingSmall
    @GrowingSmall Рік тому +3

    Happy to see this video is doing well! Love comfrey so much! Haven't had the time to watch (yet!) but will eventually get around to it and probably learn a few things. Hope all is well and keep growing beautiful stuff.

  • @johnkeynes8873
    @johnkeynes8873 10 місяців тому +1

    Great video I have comfrey growing and intend to transplant more thank you.

  • @southernroots2229
    @southernroots2229 Рік тому +7

    Thanks for all the great info. This was the first video where I saw someone actually make comfrey tea from start to finish, and then how you needed to dilute it to when it was ready to use on your plants. I’m just now starting to grow comfrey in my garden and I’m so excited.

  • @marilynsimpson1374
    @marilynsimpson1374 Рік тому

    Well done. I've not heard anyone talk about Confrey for years. My mom did many years ago. I'll ask around now. Thanks

  • @suepears2010
    @suepears2010 Рік тому +2

    Thanks! Yes, we use comfrey a lot in our garden. We have it, like you, all over our garden but we don't mind as we use it so much. Either as a tea, mulch or in the compost.

  • @shellsea9520
    @shellsea9520 7 місяців тому +1

    ❤LY 😎TKS SUBSCRIBED 😊

  • @drrahilakurdi5943
    @drrahilakurdi5943 5 місяців тому +1

    ❤❤❤

  • @l-ap3913
    @l-ap3913 Рік тому +1

    Thank you, I always find your videos so instructive. Can you put Comfrey on native food plants?

  • @tomfisher3117
    @tomfisher3117 4 дні тому +4

    I use my blender and blend up three half full blender pitchers of comfrey with enough water to have very small pieces. I put them in a tote with 5 gallons of water and. in three or 4 days it's ready to use in the garden. Why wait when you don't have to?

  • @kerryevans2038
    @kerryevans2038 25 днів тому +1

    I grow some in pots and inground,find it takes a lot of water to keep it growing well

  • @cptseagull
    @cptseagull Рік тому +1

    A wonderful vid! Thanks for taking the time and effort to film and edit that. Appreciate that you came back over weeks/months to show us how your garden and tea was progressing! 👏🏼🙏🏼

  • @jordanallen3078
    @jordanallen3078 3 дні тому +1

    Had to google what "once a fortnight" meant. Once every two weeks. xD
    I'm dumb.
    But great video. Thanks for sharing!

    • @dougbas3980
      @dougbas3980 3 дні тому +1

      You have missed Shakespeare? It was a common term in olden days😏

    • @jordanallen3078
      @jordanallen3078 3 дні тому

      @@dougbas3980 I did say I was dumb. 😉😉

  • @user-xz7ul7nq5n
    @user-xz7ul7nq5n 11 місяців тому +1

    Can I use the tea on my cabbages and spinach?

  • @MarieJonkers-gz7cz
    @MarieJonkers-gz7cz 10 місяців тому +1

    Where do I buy comfrey plants in vic gippsland

  • @user-vp3lt1tr9m
    @user-vp3lt1tr9m 19 днів тому +1

    Hello to all,how to avail compry seed

  • @user-wq4pv4dn3b
    @user-wq4pv4dn3b 10 днів тому +1

    What would be the possibility of putting the comfrey into a bag made from Fly screen Material to use it like Tea Bag as I use 60 litre plastic Garbage Bins from Bunnings up here in Wauchope NSW. Where is a good place to get Russian Comfrey up this way.

  • @drrahilakurdi5943
    @drrahilakurdi5943 5 місяців тому +1

    I am from Pakistan ❤❤❤❤

  • @tracyfortune3297
    @tracyfortune3297 7 місяців тому

    Help! I got two, small cuttings and planted them in a couple of pots to get them started. They immediately got midgies and started to die so I treated the pots with peroxide/water bath which killed the flies/eggs in the soil. Now, they've developed something I've never seen: spots on the leaves that are clear-- as if something is eating the green of the leaf but leaving behind little "windows" where I see the underlying structure/pattern but can see through if that makes sense? What am I doing wrong? Is there anything I can treat them with to get rid of whatever this is? :(

  • @nchestercountynews4955
    @nchestercountynews4955 11 місяців тому +1

    "swamp water" i got a long handled Sause pot from the 2nd hand store to dispense the JDAM

  • @melaniewilliams6499
    @melaniewilliams6499 11 місяців тому +1

    I use a fish air machinr and it gets the smell reduces

  • @reginainekuku8547
    @reginainekuku8547 10 місяців тому

    Where can we get the seed to take to Africa

  • @williammaxwell1919
    @williammaxwell1919 8 місяців тому +3

    With making weed or comfrey teas, use a fish-tank bubbler to change the decomposition process from anaerobic to aerobic, which doesn’t stink so much, especially if you accidently get it on yourself. Plus I think it is faster, though never did any comparisons.

    • @ssstults999
      @ssstults999 21 годину тому

      I would be interested in a comparison! If only I had comfrey growing around me. It's on my list tho

  • @LittleRapGuy
    @LittleRapGuy 2 місяці тому +1

    :)

  • @tiffanysstoryscraftsandgar5852

    Funny story with mom. Lol.

  • @danielashford2435
    @danielashford2435 4 місяці тому +1

    Is Comfrey an Australian Native, ir not is there any Austrakian Native akterbative as ther earw ao many invaiaive overseas olants in Aussie bush 😊

  • @garystonestreet207
    @garystonestreet207 4 місяці тому +1

    Adding LAB will get the smell out

  • @berebelliousgirls6831
    @berebelliousgirls6831 Рік тому

    Hello my mother love your videos Can you also add Hindi subtitles My mother tried to watch your videos with auto translate but they are not accurate lots of love from India 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

    • @marisaphoenix1893
      @marisaphoenix1893 5 місяців тому

      As if she’s going to add Hindi for you idiot 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️😂😂😂

  • @madammim694
    @madammim694 7 годин тому

    that looks so snakey

  • @colleenpritchett6914
    @colleenpritchett6914 5 днів тому

    It’s a wonderful medical addiction to your home. Look up it uses. I can’t keep up with people wanting it

  • @neil1261
    @neil1261 8 днів тому

    Let’s face it, it smells like old man breath! 😂

  • @edwardwolos6668
    @edwardwolos6668 3 місяці тому

    Just too much talking without any real info