[Trikidiki]

I've never grown comfrey before but have about 15 plants I grew from seed last year.

I have just planted some fruit trees and was thinking of planting the comfrey amongst the trees.

Does the team think this would be ok or is the comfrey likely to inhibit the growth of the fruit trees. How far from the trees should I plant the comfrey?

[Trillium]

Were the seeds from wild comfrey or the hybrid Bocking 14? I doubt if the latter as I believe it's a sterile plant that doesn't make seeds. So, You've probably got the wild comfrey. And I really don't recommend you plant that among your fruit trees as it will eventually take over. I have a friend who planted a small border of it, and years later she's still spraying it with glyphosphate trying to get rid of it. It really can become a nuisance, so plant it out of the way as its very helpful to the gardener for compost and for comfrey tea.

[stompy]

I took some root disk cuttings last year from my aquired bocking 14 plants, and they are doing well on the windowsill, im thinking of doing the same thing with mine.

I have 3 trees in each row going accross the the plot and i was thinking of planting the comfrey inbetween the trees 2 plants in each space and i have 3 rows of trees.

Like Triki said does anone think they will be detrimental to the trees growth as i know they are quite heavy feeders?

[gillie]

I would not do this!  Even grass growing between young trees is reckoned to be detrimental. When the trees get well established the orchard can be grassed down to hold the trees back a little.  However I think a voracious plant like comfrey would hold them back a lot too much.

If the comfrey does get out of hand, how will you control it? You cannot dig about amongst fruit trees.

Gillie

[stompy]

How will mine get out of control, it bocking 14

[gillie]

How will mine get out of control, it bocking 14

By growing very large!

Gillie

[stompy]

It'll have to grow very large indeed to overtake the trees 

[craggy]

How will mine get out of control, it bocking 14

By growing very large!

Gillie

comfrey should be cut back 4 times a year for tea.Can,t see them harming trees.

[viettaclark]

Comfrey likes loads of goodness and WATER and has a very long tap root to find it!
IMHO you would be better off planting it in it's own bed so it doesn't sap the growth of your trees.

[Trillium]

The point for trikidiki was that she/he has wild comfrey which will most definitely grow out of hand quickly and that is NOT to be planted among an orchard. The Boking variety could be planted among the orchard but you'd have to be diligent about cutting it down several times a year as some dwarf trees would be swamped in full comfrey growth. If you check in the growing help section in the top bar, you'll find John's pix and notes on comfrey.

[stompy]

So can you not buy bocking 14 seeds?
Does that mean you can only buy plants?

If triki has only got none bocking 14 then you don't want to be planting it anywhere.
That stuff will take over.

[viettaclark]

It's very invasive (the wild type) but if you cut it 4 times a year it can't seed. 

[Trillium]

So can you not buy bocking 14 seeds?
Does that mean you can only buy plants?

If triki has only got none bocking 14 then you don't want to be planting it anywhere.
That stuff will take over.

That's exactly what I'm saying - Boking 14 are available only as cuttings or plants.

[Trikidiki]

OK.

Got myself some Bocking root cuttings.

Anybody want some 'wild' comfrey plants?

[Trillium]

The wild comfrey plants would be good in a treeline or hedgerow where it would have to compete with other roots and not get so invasive. The bees love it.