[Salkeela]

Okay so my comfrey died!  Just shrivelled and cowped!

So now I'm making nettle tea as fertiliser for my tomatoes.  I've a big blue rain barrel I half filled with nettles ( and one or two other choice weeds, but mostly nettles) a few weeks ago and the liquid now looks like gloopy dark tea.

Will this be good enough for all my greenhouse plants?  I've toms, courgettes, butternut squash, peppers, cucumber, and sweet potatoes.

All looks healthy so far.... (almost daren't type that  :? !)

Sally

[GrannieAnnie]

Your comfrey died?  I've never known a comfrey die before.  I took a cutting from Kent to Essex with me, where it lived for 6 years in a big pot, sometimes it got watered and sometimes it didn't, when I got to Lincolnshire it lived in the same pot for another 2 years, and I had to break the pot to get it out it was so root bound, but its done marvellous and its little descendants have been posted all over the place!

Do you want a bit Sal?

As to the nettle tea, I'm using it on everything like I do the comfrey tea, but most of it has been washed away I think!!!!  but I'm no expert, so I don't now if theres anything that doesn't like nettle tea!!!!

[Salkeela]

Your comfrey died?  

I  know!  I mean how embarrassing - I killed the comfrey!  

Actually it may recover but it seemed to get something and just shrivelled - looked like a whitefly attack but I saw none of the little critters!

Anyway I have a local source to restock if this doesn't grow back.  Thanks for the offer, much appreciated.

[GrannieAnnie]

That's good, no probs!!!!    

[sunlover]

Please tell me how you killed it   Our allotment is over-run, and I can't keep up with with it self seeding. There's only so much comfrey tea you can make!  The nonstop rain means we can't do much work there, and its taken over my strawberry beds, as well as everywere else!

[WG.]

self seeding

That's unusual.

A year under black polythene will kill it out.

[sunlover]

Whiskey Golf - I'm guessing its self seeding, as its popping up all over the place. This is a new plot we took over in April.  From what I remember from the last year at the allotments , the plot spent most of the last year under plastic as the holder wasn't able to work it. Wish you could sell it, I'd make a fortune!

[WG.]

Most common method of spreading comfrey is to rotovate - every piece of root regrows.

[Trillium]

Salkeela, I'm wondering if someone 'accidently' hit your comfrey with Roundup or such? I've finally trained my helpers here not to cut or spray anything until they ask me first. It's amazing how much help you get when you really don't want it.  

[jaycee]

Oh dear.....I bought two lots of Bocking comfrey roots last autumn  from Suffolk Herbs and eventually had to plant in wet ground due to continual rain.
Eagerly awaited the first shoots to appear ............back to Tomatorite as only one plant survived.

[sunlover]

would you like some jaycee?  If so, please pm your details and I'll send a root - if it ever stops raining long enough to get to the plot some time this summer

[Salkeela]

Salkeela, I'm wondering if someone 'accidently' hit your comfrey with Roundup or such?

Doubt it... they know we don't spray!  

Anyway a quick inspection has now revealed some new growth from the roots... maybe it just got hit by something when stressed by the drought followed by excessive rain???

So I'll soon be able to make "tea" again!  

[alan42]

my comfrey still grows even in the chicken run it still manages to outpace the geese and ducks  i dug it up throw the roots into a corner to rot down no chance it grew there as well lol.
alan

[shaun]

a few weeks ago i dug a couple comfrey up for fluffy and I had to trim them them to fit in the box to post off,any how the stems that i cut off i put ontop of my tomato pots in the greenhouse and they sprouted just like a strawberry runner  :? so i stuck them in there own pots and they comming on just fine