[simonwatson]

Comfrey seeds like mad and can be a real pest. That is why people plant a sterile strain, the name of which escapes me.

Bocking 14

[snowdrops]

There were tests on the Bocking 14 done by Henry Doubleday I think that gave evidence it was a superior strain to use for fertiliser etc. Check out Garden Organic for more info.

[RJR_38]

Ok, so is there any way of me telling if this is Bocking 14? I don't want to plant something that will end up being more hindrance than help (especially if it isn't all that good as a fertiliser).

[sunshineband]

Ok, so is there any way of me telling if this is Bocking 14? I don't want to plant something that will end up being more hindrance than help (especially if it isn't all that good as a fertiliser).

Any comfrey is good as a fertiliser, and if this is a flowering version, which only time will tell, you can stop it from spreading like a weed by cropping off the plant tops and using them to make liquid feed, or adding to the compost bin 

[RJR_38]

Ok, so is there any way of me telling if this is Bocking 14? I don't want to plant something that will end up being more hindrance than help (especially if it isn't all that good as a fertiliser).

Any comfrey is good as a fertiliser, and if this is a flowering version, which only time will tell, you can stop it from spreading like a weed by cropping off the plant tops and using them to make liquid feed, or adding to the compost bin 

Thanks for this it is flowering at the moment so probably not the Bocking 14 then but now I know I can think about the best place to plant some

[DD.]

Bocking 14 will flower, but the seeds are sterile.

[RJR_38]

Oh, I see!

[sunshineband]

Bocking 14 will flower, but the seeds are sterile.

I never knew that   

I have always had the 'normal sort' and really like the flowers. Perhaps I might treat myself to some roots of Bocking 14 then.......

... as it has flowers

[snowdrops]

Do you get seedlings popping up all over the place? If so not Bocking 14,but of course there will be offshoots from the other plants nearby.

[RJR_38]

It isn't on my plot - but all round the communal water tank and tap. I have also seen clumps of it on other people's plots but hard to see if there are seedlings or not - I will keep an eye out

[Lesleyk]

See attached photo:   This plant is extremely invasive, very fast growing and spreads quickly.  It is not shy about popping up in grass or borders and is almost impossible to get rid of by hand weeding as the root system is a tangle mass that goes very deep, not unlike ground elder.  I would love to know what it is and any tips about how to get rid would be gratefully received!

[JayG]

Looks like coltsfoot to me, although I don't find it that difficult to dig up in otherwise clear soil (obviously more difficult imbedded in a lawn or amongst other plants, where you might be better using a spot-weedkiller.)

[Lesleyk]

Thanks - it does indeed look like coltsfoot.  I am encountering well-established stands of it with long rhizomatous (is that a word?) root systems mixed with other plants.  Can you recommend a spot weed killer in particular?  Also, does it get rid completely?

[JayG]

Not used it myself but possible options have been discussed in a recent thread:

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=105162.msg1178460#msg1178460

[lazza]

OK, I don't have a picture, but one part of my garden has been taken over by a weed with small white flowers. The leaves grow close to the ground, and the flowers on taller stalks, but the most notable and peculiar thing is that the small thin seed pods seem to explode when touched - even very gently, sending out a small, coiled spring (which I think is one side of the seed pod)! There were a few of them last year, but hundreds this year....