[Mark Holmes]

Hello all!
I have been looking unsuccessfully for Bocking 4 comfrey.
(For animal feed).
Does anyone have or know of anyone who has Bocking 4 comfrey and would be willing to share a few cuttings?
Have posted on a number of forums as not sure who might be best able to assist!

[Yorkie]

Have you been searching under the right term?  Do you mean Bocking 14?

I've never heard of Bocking 4 (which is not to say it doesn't exist!)

Edit: I am locking this thread as you have posted it in 3 different locations.  The 'open' thread is in Livestock as I see your query is about animal feed.

Edit again: as the Livestock thread appears to have been locked too,  I am now unlocking this one so people can reply to one of your multiple threads!

[greg.t]

Not sure what your on about mate? theres blocking 14 which is used for fertilizer if your after some of that l just got some ebay for £2.40 for 3 root cuttings if theres something differant then sorry no idea..

[Trillium]

There is a Boking 4 used primarily for animal feed but from my search in answering a previous post a while ago, it's almost impossible to get in the UK now even though that's where it was originally developed. And being a sterile hybrid, not available by seeds, only by live plants from cuttings.

It's available in Canada but unfortunately cannot be shipped to other countries due to agricultural laws and potential risks of importing diseases or pests. I know the Canadian supplier and know they'd never ship anything dubious, but the law makers don't see it that way.

All you can do is keep asking various animal handlers, agricultural agencies, etc if they know of anyone who still grows any in the UK. I suspect you'll have a long search so be patient.

[Mark Holmes]

Thanks for the replys.

Trillium: I have already made similar inquries, and been in contact with Ricthers Herbs. It is also available in the US. I may have to research the rules further to see if anything can be done.

Yorkie & greg.t. Yes Bocking 4 does exist, and I already have bocking 14, which as you say is widely available. If you want more information on comfrey and its development Lawrence D Hills book "Comfrey, Past, Present & Future" has been reprinted and easily available. And you could try for a 2nd hand copy of his original book.

[Kristen]

Long shot: Would a callus raised by tissue culture satisfy the plant export requirements?  Seeds are allowed, so presumably its not the genetics, but rather the "bugs" that are the perceived problem?

[Trillium]

Potential bugs and disease viruses, Kristen. You'd really need to know how to do tissue culture to attempt it, provided you could even get a sample. And with so much disease problems cropping up these days, fewer countries are willing to risk new problems.

[Kristen]

I worked in a tissue culture nursery, many years ago, and we raised virus free plants using tissue culture - growing the mother plants at ridiculously high temperatures so that virus replication shut down, and the new growth of the meristem was virus free, and we then removed that under microscope to grow on in-vitro.

Not saying its easy! and certainly not for a budding amateur (we had positive airflow sterile cabinets and rooms to work in) but if there is a market for Bocking-4 outside USA / Canada then it might be a route to getting plants clean for export (for all I know a phytosanitary certification might be enough even?)

[ANHBUC]

Mark, I have 2 different varieties of comfrey in my garden.  I don't know what varieties they are one bought from a garden centre and the other a specialist herb grower.  One has a lighter leaf and grows taller than the darker leafed variety.  You are welcome to have some root off each of them.