Comfrey: One of the most useful plants you can grow in your garden
Comfrey is the wonder plant - it has a range of uses from natural medicine, a wonderful fertiliser, to healing properties for your skin.
A Brief History
It is known as a medicinal herb. It was cultivated by both the Greeks and the Romans. Its botanical name is symphytum officinale and is a member of the Boraginaceae family as is borage among others.
Nutritional Values of Comfrey
Comfrey contains high levels of the basic NPK
Comfrey Liquid Feeds
Comfrey can be made into a wonderful liquid feed with quite a simple process. Take a barrel or big container, add comfrey leaves to about a quarter way up the barrel, and leave for 3 to 4 weeks. Just a warning, the smell is could be very strong as it ferments!
You can fill the container with as much leaves as you wish and remember to place a weight on top to compress the leaves. A small hole in the base allows the brown liquid to drip through into another container and bottle it for later use.
Cultivation of Comfrey
Comfrey will thrive in full to partial sun exposure and even near full shade. It doesn't like thin, chalky soils and the roots go down a fair away so is best to break up the subsoil to get it off to a good start. This plant will benefit from sandy soils and organic matter. As it is a fleshy plant, it needs a lot of water and a soggy patch will be a plus.
Comfrey is great for soaking up nutrients and unlike other plants and will not burn with raw manure.
There are a number of varieties, cultivated and wild. The most commonly available and best for gardener is Blocking 14.
The plants start from root cuttings, which can be from the crown or lower down the plant. Either way, they will usually take and flourish.
It is good idea start the plants off in shaded pots to get them a good start and then plant them out. To ensure success, it's best to plant out once the shoots have appeared.
For spring plantings, you can take cuttings in mid to late summer, just cut about six inches from ground level. Comfrey has hairs on the leaves that can irritate so it would be advisable to wear gloves.
In winter, plants go dormant so lime can be applied.
Propagating
In the spring, it will leap back from its winter sleep and it's ideal to take cuttings for an effective yield.
Skincare Uses
Ointments containing comfrey often made with lanolin are believed to be good for healing wounds and burns in the skin.
Comfrey oil is also an herbal oil that moisturises and heals skin.
If you have this plant in your garden, make the most of it as it is packed with benefits!