Growing and Using Comfrey - Perfect Plant for Permaculture Vegetable Gardening
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- If there was one plant I would grow more of, it would be comfrey. In this video I tell you how comfrey is grown and also demonstrate how to use comfrey as a liquid feed and a mulch. If you are interested in subscribing to the Permaculture Magazine (which I highly recommend), use the code: HuwsNurseryPM16 at the checkout for a 5% discount: huwsnursery.com/pm
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Comfrey bocking 14 knocked out my back pain for the last three years.I take one big leaf cut it up throw in my vitamix blender with a glass of water and a glass of ice and say good bye to back pain.
Should try Cannabis, even more powerful!
You consumed it?
@@turbonbc I have used cannabis and when I do, seems evil spirits come around. Comfrey is a better pain reliever/healer with no or good spirits visiting. ♥️
No issues with the prickles on the leaves?
It smells like zombie breath 🥺🤭🤢🤮
Ate comfrey throughout my pregnancy and walked everywhere. Skin glow and hair. Strong teeth and bone. More importantly, liver cleansing for weight loss. Made comfrey tea. And lost 15kilos after birth and eating comfrey. That was 36yrs ago!😋😃👍💪
Hi NanaCyberSilver, I’m curious as to how much you ate each day & if it was raw or cooked 🙏 🪴 ✨
The info I have read says do not use comfrey if pregnant or breastfeeding. Do not ingest comfrey as it contains liver toxins, which are not safe to eat or drink.
People please don’t eat this! it’s very toxic to your liver and kidneys.
i manage an organic farm in byron bay australia and use comfrey all the time for composts, bed creation, feeding to the animals and worms. My boss on the other hand, completely unaware of all the uses it receives treats it like a weed and furiously wants it gone.. needless to say, he doesn't like permaculture people believing they're too idealistic and not business oriented enough. I'm looking forward to one day proving him wrong or one day getting a job (paid position) in permaculture of which I have studied. In the interim I will go on having all my practices bastardized in favor of good business practice. At least we don't use chemicals.
i follow you since 2020-21 and somehow i found this video from google, DUDE, you aged like wine lol. really appreciate your positive energy and clear educative speech, you are one of the youtubers who inspired me a lot through my interest of gardening. i have learned a lot and i've more to learn from you. keep it my dude.
Puberty was so good to this man lmao
Comphrey has healed my whip lash, my moms ankle and coworkers foot & my aunts hip. 🌿🌿🌞💜
It is amazing!
How?
@@HuwRichards how did it heal those ailments? Thank you
How did you use it to heal whiplash?
Been gardening for 65 years and just became aware fo Comfrey’s benefits this year. Lady moved in down the street and has way too much for her liking, so I get it ALL. Just added about five bushels to my newly built compost heap - it’s at least three cubic yards in total. Has hit 160ºF in three days. Start turning it tomorrow! Also found massive pants growing in the ditch adjacent to my property... Green Gold! Love your channel.
plants - massive plants!
Great chicken feed, grow a field of it,
When my mom's ankle was swollen, red and angry looking from a sprain, I used poultice made from ground comfrey, plantain, self heal with alcohol and within one night she went from pain to 80% reduction in pain, she was also able to put her weight on that feet. Fast healing! My mom's now a believer:) Other name for Comfrey is very apt-Knitbone, boneset.
111Lky Thanks for this. I’ve had an ankle that gets bum occasionally after a bad sprain two years ago. Next time, I’ll try this!
Thank you for the alternative names! It’s growing all over the place on my “neglected” Tennessee USA farm. I recognized the name “boneset” but didn’t know it’s also known as comfrey, very excited!
@@e.duncan6256 You're welcome, this plant is simply amazing. It can also be used as fertilizer, heat up compost, make compost tea
It is the best burn salve ever. Grind root and apply. From sunburn to severe burn. Completely takes away the pain !!!
omg when the little girl screamed LOL cute!
+Amangelin Jalbuena Yeah my sister is a funny one ;)
First time I made Comfrey fertiliser, I opened the bucket and flies appeared from nowhere! Stinky but wonderful fertiliser.
EXCELLENT video, Huw. I keep Comfrey close to every veggie bed I have. Make it easy to use as a mulch or tea. I make sure I freeze 1/2 cup portions that I have put in my food processor. I then use as a poultice throughout the year. I also make an Comfrey oil infusion. Thank you for inspiring others to grow Comfrey.
I let it grow full height then cut right back and make the tea. You can do this three times a year no problem!
Woo that's great news 👍
Poultice to treat what???
@@rhonanoriega1703 Comfrey Herb is called the bone healer. It is a medicinal herb that can heal broken bones, fractures, etc. Best to research it. I make a Comfrey infused oil for muscle aches, wounds, etc.
We use comfrey to feed all our plants. Great video Huw. For those not wanting it to spread bocking 14 will be the best variety as it in infertile and can only be cultivated by root division.
I have that kind in the corner of my small 20-10 greenhouse. I have backed off using it in the flowering season not knowing the nitrogen content. Any idea how to find out?
+treewolf37 Yes Google Lawrence Hill The Comfrey report or get his book Comfrey Past Present Future
@@treewolf37 nitrogen is supposed to be 1% or less. Guess it depends on how strong the solution is.
I love comfrey! As both a gardener and an herbalist....I would not want to be without it! Great video!
You can also stuff it in a pillow case. It is very comfrey.
I chop comfrey up and put a layer of compost then a layer of chopped comfrey then some more compost in the bottom of the container before putting in plants, the comfrey will decompose and feed the plants as they grow. I do the same when planting in the garden, it works amazingly well and the plants are super healthy.
Make sure you chop it well. I did this and ended up with two comfrey plants growing in my lettuce bed. Luckily it was just a large smart pot bed so I was able to get the comfrey out but I’ve been leery ever since because they are impossible to get rid of when planted in the ground
Rebecca Geiser I’m going to try that!!! My CHICKENS thank you!!! 😁👍🏼❤️
Comfrey is amazing! Watch out when taking root cuttings though.. Even dropping a tiny piece of root the size of your pinky finger nail can sprout a plant in unwanted places. LOVE your videos.
😄😄 but we can never have enough :)
That’s what I’m hoping for - just planted a few root cuttings, have never grown it before! I am looking forward to having some.
5 years of using comfrey and I am still finding new ways to use it! Runner beans love comfrey tea during fruiting phase, even carrots do really well with it.
you are a great teacher, excited to see you focusing on permaculture.
I agree!
Just found out what this is, and we have like 8 mature plants from the previous owners of our house! Stoked to use this for our garden, thanks!
Ohh that is excellent!
Lucky find!
Not foxglove?
In autumn last year I put loads of comfrey in a Barrell and added water..in late March I emptied onto my strawberry bed..the plants are doing so well
Oh my goodness! Huw you were a baby.
Thanks for always giving good garden info ❤️
Use a fish-tank bubbler to change the decomposition from anaerobic to aerobic, speeds up process and doesn't stink so much
my comfrey is nearly as tall as I am. I am 5'4" tall. It is such a lovely plant. I just planted it last year from little rootstock.
I dug a chunk out of our local meadow with my camp knife. Brought it home and plonked it in a hole in the soil by the fence. This was last year. It's thriving and I've had to cut it back twice!
I've used comfrey tea for years. I also chop and drop it as mulch. I use Russian Bocking 14 with an NPK of 1.8-0.5-7.0. I brew it in a 32 gallon black garbage can. Let it sit for 3 months to a year. I don't strain it, I just take the sprinkler off the can so I don't clog up the cans. I also use fermented plant juice made from comfrey which I foliar spray. I use only 1/4 teaspoon for 5 gallons. It's very powerful stuff. I also make lacto microorganisms which is also fermented. I combine it with the fermented plant juice and spray it every two weeks. It works pretty well. The only other addition I use for supplemental fertilization is some fast acting bone meal . I will use it when I start to see flowers forming on my tomatoes and peppers. Love it! Blessings to you. This was a wonderful video.
Is Russian Bocking 14 the type that spreads by it seeds?
@@evoliveoil No. The seeds are not viable. It will spread slowly by root. Slowly.
@@tomfisher3117 What about the one that spreads by its seeds? Are there any reasons why you like it?
I was growing comfrey for the past few years. The delicate flowers are adorable. Though I had success dividing plants for propagation, the last of them died despite regular watering. They could not withstand the hot summer we had last year in Florida. Are those your sheep behind you toward the end? They look quite remarkable on the hillside.
Wonderful information and shared to my Aussie page, as my front garden's becoming over shaded by my fruit trees I can now only grow things in my raised beds. The ground around my fruit trees is the perfect place to grow clumps of comfrey . I have an acre that we recently bought to retire on in a few years so I'll be using my current garden to grow stock for the garden on our new property so that when we build I'll have a large portion already established. Sadly where I live now is so shaded buy neighbours large trees I can't grow the fruits and veggies that I'd like to.
great eating young leaves, larger leaves liquid compost flowers for salad would be without it undoubtedly one of the most valuable plants i grow.
I hope your passion for growing is catching on your friends Thank you for all the info you have
How about as a companion plant around apple trees? And weed wack two or three times in a season and leave the debris to compost?
This!💜
The BEST video I've seen on comfrey. Thank you for the detailed info. Excellent video!
Thank you! Greetings from Texas, USA. 😎👍🏻
This is the best utilization video I’ve found on UA-cam and I’ve watched many.
So precious. Using a cutting tool to remove leaves. :)
Great videos Huw, comfrey is the world's best bone healer, i make a salve from it,marvelous for osteo problems
jennifer little .how do you make it?
Zerrin Ekinci 800 grams olive oil,large handful fresh comfrey roots,1 teaspoon borax powder,this stops it from going off.Put 1st 2 in a saucepan and heat until you see small bubbles,put aside for 24 hours,then do the same again you need to now mix in 150 grams of bees wax, mix through until melted,then add borax, drain mixture into a large glass bowl,stir well on and off until very cool and you have a smooth mixture,keep stirring otherwise it will be lumpy,a bit time consuming but well worth it.This is marvelous for any kind of bone or muscular pain,if i didn't have this for my back i would be in a wheelchair.Let me know if you have any problems.
Thank you very much.... Not me but a couple of family members have constant knee and back pains. I would love to try to make it. Thanks again..x
Zerrin, your welcome,don't forget to wash the comfrey and hand dry it before you use it, it is messy stuff.I also make a calendula and chickweed salve using the same recipe,they have multiple uses.
looks like you are full of ideas and recipes Jennifer. Do you show those recipes on a blog etc.?
Good morning Huw , in your tunnel you have a grape vine growing along wires. Have you ever done a video on how to grow it? I have inherited a very large tunnel with a vine at each end and at the moment they are a mess. I have no idea which variety they are. I also have no idea what to do with them, Keep up the great work.
Ray
Great video. I'm about to share this with a friend who needs some of my comfrey 😁 and I can really use his old stakes and hoops he found on his new homestead property. I sure hope he's going to make a deal with me. Thanks for your help with that.
this is exciting congratulations on the article, and a great video.
Thank you! I purchased some crowns and seeds and hope to grow an abundance of comfrey👍🏽
Just ran in from the rain having sown my first Comfrey seeds in a raised bed, in a section of wall that has collapsed and between sunflower seeds planted last week. Thanks again Huw
Really enjoy your videos! I just began gardening a few years ago and I've learned so much!
Thank you for all the information you share, keep it coming. This Yaya from Texas loves to hear you talk and teach.
So much great info! I just ordered myself some comfrey seeds. Thanks!
World-class communicator. Bravo! Helpful! Gratitude! Subscribed. ❤️🙏🏼
Janice - got so mixd up regarding the difference between comfrey and borage - Here in France you can buy borage but not comfrey (not even from Dutch seed suppliers) and its so difficult to order as the price of the plant is half that of the delivery costs; and it has to come from a specialist herbal supplier! I have ordered on e Bay and it comes from the UK - so dont know whether ill have to pay 10 euros tax (like all UK deliveries) to the postwoman! All that just for some comfrey!! Great at least I know what to do with it now; we have a new house and woodland garden not used before.
I have since found out there are two types, the plant that mostly stays in place and the plant that spreads. Unfortunately, I planted the spreading type and I can not control it or get rid of it.
If I had it to do over I would plant it in a container.
Bees love Comfrey flowers too
Enjoying your videos--- thanks for producing them. You say comfrey is good for a permaculture garden, but here it Woodland, WA we just have a few raised beds for veggies--- the flowers are pretty much permanently where they are, while the veggies move about from bed to bed. I'm hoping your comfrey advice to use it for teas and mulching also applies to us.
I'm also in WA and I've found most of Huw's advice helpful for us as Wales is also zone 8 with a very similar temperate climate.
great video, used it in the Pacific Northwest, not sure if it does well here.
Nettles are great for arthritis, make a tea, don't let it sit.
+Gardener Earth They sure are great plants :)
I have been using it for the first time this year. My question is how it breaks down on nitrogen potassium and pot ash. Like a 7-7-7 or what? Great video!!
Thanks Huw,i found this really clear,practical and well explained
Oh this was like almost 4 years ago, i was like, this gardener looks so familiar. Oh it's Huw! You look quite young!! Comfrey, quite interesting!
I grow it for my chickens. They love it.
I bought symphytum officials. I’m hoping this is a good source of nutrients for my garden I’ve got seeds that I will start. I really enjoyed your video
Huw: Not a problem-- hope you can see I was trying to help rather than sit on a verge and throw stones as you went by.
I enjoy your videos and look with envy at your wonderful garden--- and helping attitude.
Thanks Robert but would rather a correction be put on a recent video than one that is 5 years old😉 Have a lovely evening Robert and thanks for watching:)
I love Comfrey.
Outstanding info video - thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us 👍
You should try making FPJ with it instead. Mix one third by weight brown sugar, massaging into materials. Place a weight in top to increase osmotic pressure. Fermentation releases nutrients more effectively. Korean natural farming method
just started my comfrey this year. your gardens are lovely. enjoy your videos
For those who've never eaten comfrey. Eat a small leaf, then have a look at your fingernails after a couple of days. It's amazing, no need for manicures.
how much of the root can be eaten
None. It's deathly poisonous.
@@Nobody-11B really? i eat it and i am healthier than ever
@@decathlete2000 The pyrrolizidine alkaloids contained in comfrey include intermedine, lycopsamine, symphtine and echnimidine, which are metabolized by the cytochrome P450 enzymes into highly toxic pyrrole metabolites which have alkylating properties that can damage hepatic endothelial cells and can cause sinusoidal obstruction. The amount of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in comfrey varies by the part of the plant used, its age and time of harvesting. The toxicity of pyrrolizidine containing substances is increased by microsomal enzyme inducers such as phenobarbital. Infants appear to be particularly susceptible to pyrrolizidine alkaloid injury.
Hepatotoxicity from comfrey is now rare, as it is widely accepted as being toxic when taken internally and oral formulations are restricted or banned in most countries.
@@decathlete2000 that's like a smoker saying I'm healthy and I smoke...
Your accent is awesome Huw. Thanks for the comfrey tips.
I have a few comfrey bushes, great info, last year i only put it in with just water and used it, good advice thankyou.
Very very interesting . Have grow Comfrey from seed .So think it's not the most potent as I
think the best comfrey gives sterile seed, but not sure. Thanks for all your know how so clearly explained . Thank you very much.
Nice to hear from a Pro.
We have lots of comfrey!
Bees love it as well :)
Thanks for sharing! Am new at this, so I am loving your videos...very helpful.
Hello from Greece. Congratulations! Wonderful video!
Great Video dude as ever, keep it up man 👍
+Edward Newgate Thanks my friend!
One more question, once propagated. In a square foot garden, is it worth allocating the plants one sector of their own, or do they need more space??
Im loving your channel!
Not sure if you have looked into it, but mycelium has huge benefits for growing too. And Mycoremediation.. .(big word for using mushrooms in correcting soil problems for people like me who had to look it up)
Thanks for such good content Huw, keep it up!
+lynda williams Thank you so much! I am currently reading a book all about it and it looks very interesting! Thank you for watching :)
+lynda williams Thank you so much! I am currently reading a book all about it and it looks very interesting! Thank you for watching :)
+lynda williams Thank you so much! I am currently reading a book all about it and it looks very interesting! Thank you for watching :)
HuwsNursery - Grow Organic Produce Inexpensively
try spoilt milk alongwith yeast or something similar. that will start the myco..... process. it's a tested method.
Thanks for explaining how to use comfrey I have been looking for more information.
There's this thing I wonder about comfrey. Watching the videos about using it in permaculture/organic compost there never is a flower in sight. Googling comfrey gives me results including both Sympythum officinale AND Sympythum caucasicum. My guess would be the plants in your films are officinale(I did spot a purple flower there!) (purple, pink and of white) whereas I only have the caucasum (blue flowers) here (Sweden). Now my question is. do the caucasum plants have the same qualities as the officinale? Thanks for another fine video! Looking forward to your second book.
Great, I will try it. I do make this feeds from various plants, but never tried comfrey. I do like to eat nettle, cook it a a spinach or raw in smoothie with a pineapple :)
I've yet to find anyone discuss how to grow them from seed. Only root cuttings and splitting them. I have a bunch of seeds from the plants and I'd love to learn how to make them work.
Hello !!! Thank You for your LoveLy info 🤍🌿💚🌱
What do you use for grass border for your raised beds ? Are they lined with the thicker Landscape Fabric ?
~~ & Also double~checking on this,, ~~ That it is Safe to use JUST THE LEAVES & THE LEAF STEMS for laying as mulch around plants, ~ & for use in the comfrey tea. I want to be 💯% sure that the comfrey leaf does not have the capacity to re~grow itself like leaf nodule on the flowering stem does
Wow. He looks like a baby when you're used to watching his new videos
That's how time works yes😂
Great video, as always. Question for you, I have started a food forest and have 8 fruit trees which I want to put comfrey around. How far from the base of the trees should it be planted and is there a preferred directional orientation? Thanks for all the effort and info you put into your videos.
I just thought of a better idea why not put comfrey inside of cow manure or horse manure and let it sit there and it will turn into the best soil due to the hot manure. Then to blow your mind .........Get big long black tarps to cover it up all up. ':) I'm smart
Oh wow...just what I needed
Comfrey is so abundant on our pathways that I harvest them on our walks and throw them in my compost pile. I might just give the comfrey juice a go but not look forward to its stench.
I am moveing from n.y. to Kentucky.Compfrey is in the ground under snow can I dig it up and take it to kentucky .will it survive?Very nice videos.
It should
Thanks
How large is the bucket? Do you fill it half way with comfrey? How much water? Where do you find a cool place for it to make and why is it necassary? What is cool enough? Can you use the flowers?
A 5 gallon bucket would work fine
Karakafes otu.. Ekolojik tarım veya permakültürde kullanılabilecek en iyi dinamik akümülatör (mineral/besin biriktirici) bitkilerden biri: Azot, potasyum, kalsiyum fosfor..
Those are nice tomato plants....and you have quite a harvest there... I think tomato roots are shallow..is that right and they spread far... Which means that top soil is dry...or not.
Awesome need to get some more my last i got give was left in my last garden Huw so saving up to get some more
Do the comfrey leaves contain enough nutrition to use it as the only complete fertilizer for all my plants?
I think so.
They don't contain any carbon so aren't complete nutrition but are as good as horse manure.
@@lurmot Why do you say they don't contain carbon? When they break down, they release carbon as all plants do. All living organisms are carbon based. So, even manure contains carbon. If you were to put anything organic into a gasifier, the end product would be carbon, or charcoal otherwise known as biochar. You can make charcoal from horse manure, and use it to filter water to make it safe for drinking. There is so much carbon in Comfrey, you would be shocked.
Ah yes well I was probably wrong to say they don't contain ANY carbon but they do have a 10 times as much nitrogen as they do carbon. So it's a negligible quantity.
I found a load of comfrey growing while walking my dog today. Can I use it as a compost ingredient along with fruit, raw veg, carboard, paper and grass? Thanks, mate.
Great video, very educational! Thank you very much!
can I just use a blender and mix the water and comfrey . Then just use the whole blended juice to water the plants?
great info how long does the comfrey tea last once its fermented down ???
I live in Southern Oregon, which is in the region of the United States known as the Pacific Northwest. Our climate is temperate, cool to the point of being downright cold at times in the early Spring. We are expecting a killing frost later one night this week, in fact. I've certainly heard of comfrey but am curious if it can be purchased. I haven't seen in the local nurseries but am thinking the Internet maybe the only option for me. Your thoughts?
coescomfrey.com is good place to get roots,crowns, 1-4 yr old plants
great stuff, i love making big batch teas with this stuff. Thanks for the share Huw
+Permaculture Homestead It is so much fun! Thank you for watching :)
+Permaculture Homestead It is so much fun! Thank you for watching :)
Comfrey contains compounds that can harm your liver , I wouldn’t drink/eat it
Great info!
Are their benefits to creating a liquid feed rather than a simple chop & drop?
I would imagine the liquid feed would give more immediate results.
What a great lesson and video!
I don't know if you're still reading comments to this post or not, but I do have a question. I have read that comfrey can be very invasive and difficult to control once established. I do have one of the plants and I'm not very concerned at this point but I wanted to ask for your thoughts on that. I have also heard that it's good to plant around fruit trees but I'm wondering how far away from the base of the young trees it should be planted.
I only recently came across your posts and love watching them! My husband ordered your book veg in one bed and gave to me for my birthday and I'm so excited! Oh by the way I live in Northeast Georgia in the US.
Heya! As long as Boking 14 and you don't till the roots and cause them to spread then it won't spread. Hard to get rid of right away yes, but it's the last plant I would every want to get rid of anyway so than helps :) Can be planted around 2-3ft from base of tree :) really hope you enjoy the book and happy birthday Lila😊
I live in NE Georgia as well!
Good informative video thank you.
How hard is it to get rid of comfrey? If you for example want to move the plants or plant something else in the area it's in.
Once it's established (i.e. has developed deep roots over the course of several years) then it's very hard to kill without chemicals or some serious excavation. That said, cut it off at ground level and then put a 1m diameter black kiddie pool on the spot and fill it with dirt or water to weigh it down... leave it for 3 years and the comfrey will have decayed and died.
People who keep changing their minds about where plants should be should not plant comfrey.
Penfold 'OoO'
Or black plastic under any color kiddlie pool.
I checked my comfrey tea today, it's nearly 4 weeks old but has what looks like a white floating mould forming. Is that normal? Thanks Hew.👍
Comfrey leaves help tomatoes ripen ?