How to Easily Multiply and Plant Comfrey

[@HalsPals]

Here in the blazing hot Southern Nevada desert, some of my comfrey is doing great, others are struggling. I even have one plant with flowers. The plants planted alone, facing the cruel world on their own have not thrived nor grown big and are in a struggle for survival. Other plants are growing and thriving. I have compost pits made over the past 2 years with food scraps, cow manure and old bamboo leaves about 3 feet deep and 2 foot around, all surrounded by large stones. I always mixed well and it composted into dirt. This spring I planted the sprouted comfrey roots, Jerusalem Artichoke and, ahem, legal MJ. These I have surrounded in a net cage to keep the insects out. All the plants are thriving, luscious and green. So I guess the secret is to make a microclimate in the desert for comfrey to thrive. Like I said, one even has flowers. I'll plant fruit trees in these pits this Fall having good dirt made from scratch and matured with vegetation.

[@ThePermacultureConsultant]

That's freaking awesome! Good job!

[@loriflarson4236]

Wow! Perfect timing for this video. My original comfrey plants are 2 years old now and they're huge. I was going to start researching how to propagate them and this video came out. Thank you!

[@bigi2022]

Same!

[@christinamcfarland8063]

Me too! This is the second summer for my comfrey I bought from Permapastures Farm. :)

[@ThePermacultureConsultant]

Haha perfect timing! Thank you so much!

[@dandelcollo]

I bought some root cuttings from your parents several weeks ago and I am currently planting them as the cuttings start to sprout, and they are growing fast!

[@scottmiller1916]

It should be required for new home load applicants be requested to watch and be tested on 🌎friendly practices such as yours, I was practicing some of them today, when I realized how much nicer my soil would be if I started 40+ years ago🤔😖trust found your site, DIG IT Scotty

[@FloridamanForager]

Here in Florida 9a I grow Moringa and comfrey whoop whoop

[@louisegogel7973]

Unless you want a field of comfrey, don’t ever rototill it! lol I have comfrey in my yard from when I planted a single plant years a go and now have five full patches, most that came up on their own. My daughter is going to come dig it up with her boyfriend for their apple orchard they just started on their land near Vermont. 22 varieties of older types of apples!

[@Hanna-DailyLife]

Your creativity shines in this video. It’s one of my favorites!

[@bridgetphillips7462]

I was just out in my garden thinking about dividing my comfrey. Got it from your family a couple of years ago. They're huge and healthy. Great timing for this video. Thank you!

[@dianaoquinn3417]

Thanks for this video. I haven't seen this done before. I have huge comfrey plants, but I was afraid to dig them up. I feel more comfortable to do so now!

[@brokenmeats5928]

I love ALL The Permaculture Consultant videos!

[@tlnelson7598]

I purchased 4 cuttings 2 years ago and now I have over 20 plants around the property. I'm waiting till the dry season in west Texas is over to plant more. OH wait, the land of the never ending drought maybe next Fall.

[@tracy419]

It's good to see how easy it is to get more. We bought a dozen root pieces several years ago, but only four came up and so the past few years we've had four comfrey plants for chop and drop. I was just getting into it the last week or so to try to make some comfrey infused oil for some muscle pain since I've been reading about it recently and found that those four plants now have seven new little plants growing up around them. Very exciting! Now if we move and get some property of our own, I know that we have plenty of it to take with us.

[@sunshinegardener1189]

Thank you, bought some comfrey from your parents site last month for our newly planted fruit trees. All the pieces of comfrey are growing :-) really appreciate walking through this, will definitely use this knowledge.

[@danaconn6870]

Did you receive 2” root cuttings? Planted them just under the surface?

[@sunshinegardener1189]

@@danaconn6870 majority of the root cuttings were 2”-4” and everything sprouted, none of the cuttings failed to sprout. When I planted them, I added some of our compost to the soil and planted about 2”-3” deep and mulched over and watered them. When I initially received them I popped them in my fridge for a week until we had all the fruit trees planted then planted the comfrey around the hilled soil.

[@johnthroop2092]

I have only heard a little about Comfrey, but I was told it's a great natural fertilizer and makes excellent tea for your garden plants! I want to learn as much as I can about it so if all what I heard is true I must start growing lots and lots of it! I'm loving your videos and I hope to start composting, I think Comfrey would be excellent for this and maybe as good as Alfalfa!

[@pa.fishpreacher6166]

I bought a comfrey plant of all places on Amazon, probably 3 to 4 yrs ago. That plant is now at least 2 and 1/2 feet. This year a new plant came up outside the bed where I planted the original. Also today I noticed a pot in the garden that is aways from the other, it has a new plant in it with flowers on it that I never planted there. Looks like I will have plently of Nitrogen for my compost this year

[@brycehess6708]

I split my comfrey I planted last spring a couple weeks ago and i was amazed at how deep that tap root grew...all the way through a 36" tall container and it kept going..I never found the actual bottom of it 😂

[@Grizz1449]

Have several growing but want more around and was wondering what the proper way to go about it was- perfectly timed and explained thank William! Will subdivide a few of mine this week!!! Awesome stuff William!

[@GrowingLittleCountryhomestead]

Nate from the kraemer life bought some from y’all’s for me 2 years ago and now I’ve got comfrey all around my property. Love it.

[@BF4TehWin]

I just did this to my first round of comfrey I bought from you and your dad last year!

[@ThePermacultureConsultant]

That's awesome!

[@missiechako5917]

ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT VIDEO ❤❤❤❤❤

[@lincwayne3435]

So cool. I just split two of my comfrey plants, along with pulling another one up - around 4 months ago. I now have at least 15 more comfy plants out there... And probably a few more will come up 🤠👍

[@susanstimpert4264]

Thanks so much for this! I have a few huge plants that need moved and split. Boy, do you sound like your father! I purchased my comfrey roots from him 2 years ago after watching his youtube channel. Full circle!

[@Blue2222-v1l]

He does! God’s perfect timing as usual. I was checking on when to divide mine that I got from your parents. Thank you.

[@hungryfortacos269]

PermacultureQ&A How would you use Moringa instead of Comfrey in the tropics? Im in zone 9b and have both comfey and moringa growing.

[@KennyMcCoy762]

Moringa cuttings/prunings are excellent as a chop and drop as well as excellent fodder for livestock.

[@amyrea4451]

I got comfrey from your parents and I live in Florida zone 10, and as long as I keep it watered, it’s growing pretty good. Don’t know if it’ll survive the summer but I’m going to transfer some of it to some more shady areas and see how it does. 😄

[@jensenfamilyhomestead4278]

#permaculture q&A What else can i do with wood chips? I've gotten about 10 loads of wood chips so far this spring. I've been putting them in my orchard, and around my garden. I used them as filler between the logs in the hugo beds I made,... starting to run out of idea's but not our of piles.

[@RustyMeadowsHomestead]

Lots of love for the channel. ❤

[@Pamsgarden213]

I had bought comfrey several times and it did nothing. I bought it from your parents and every one of them produced wonderfully. I cannot express in words how appreciative I am for your family! How old should the Comfrey be before you start propagating it?

[@tommyluck19]

Everything beautiful green. Thank You, William! Love Y'all! what kind of piggies those are? I have comfrey from Your Mom and Dad. Found very similar plant on my property but can't tell if it is comfrey as well.

[@Riverside_Homestead_Off_Grid]

I live in 10 a and 1 of 3 plants survived last hot summer and the fire that destroyed my garden and many other things. We lost a lot. And it seems like more plants are growing in this garden bed without me doing anything. Right now it's the coldest May I can remember. 8° C in the early morning and 25° C during the day. Something is wrong with the weather. I'm happy with this mild climate at the moment, but it's not normal.

[@joshuapersaud1659]

love this video brother. keep up the great work

[@sarap1409]

I grow comfrey in 11b just fine. 1/4 of it died off over summer then starts again in autumn.

[@vansicklejerry]

I bought comfrey over a year and a half ago and about 3/4 of them didn't survive. I have clay soil and was hoping the comfrey would take over my steep hill so I didn't have to mow it. I bought like 25 cutting. Only have about 5 or 6 the survived and they aren't that big. 2 of them are about a foot tall this year. The others aren't very big. Not sure why they aren't doing very good in Oregon Zone 8b.

[@ThePermacultureConsultant]

I’m not entirely sure. That seems a bit odd.

[@ZE308AC]

Have you ever incorporated native plants into your specific region in your garden?

[@GrandmomZoo]

Thank you! I needed this info!😊

[@matthewbrown4895]

Just bought some from the website you suggested. Super stoked, I have been wanting to fimd a good place to get some. Is there anywhere I shouldn't plant it? The plan is to put a couple around my garden and maybe around a few fruit trees. Can I plant some in pots to propigate and give out?

[@tanyarobertson3943]

We ordered some roots from your dad early last Spring & none of them took... I would love to get some from you because we're in East TX. I'm thinking that because our environment is so different from the Carolinas, it just wasn't going to work.

[@karenlombardi8242]

I’ve had no luck growing comfrey from seed, so I did what I should have done in the first place and ordered cuttings from Billy a few days ago. Is there any place I should NOT grow them? … I heard the tap root can grow very deep. I plan to start them in our permaculture orchard, which is well away from our septic system

[@SG-vu4qy]

i got mine from PPFarm. they are ready to plant! Question, what kind of sweet potatoes are you growing? Still waiting on my slips to grow. thank You Will for another great video.

[@liebekatz1]

Thank you for the information ❤

[@danallen698]

How well does comfrey work as a hay or feed supplement for ducks in the winter?

[@janew5351]

How do you gently remove the comfrey planted too close to existing apple tree? My hens rejected the leaves. Should I add powdered comfrey to their food or grit to introduce it to them?

[@louisegogel7973]

Set a fence around that tree to keep the chickens inside for a while and they’ll start pecking at it and realize how good it is after a bit. Their egg shells will be the stronger for it.

[@shyloapreston]

Q&A - I have a three year old garden with a large happy Blocking 14 comfrey on each corner. I’ve researched the many benefits and mostly grow it for chop n drop and JLF but I’ve read it’s not okay for people to eat. I had never heard about giving it to animals? Can you elaborate?

[@ManiacNation06]

Love you content and info bro!

[@norcalgal6785]

Thx William! 😊

[@amyb5339]

William, I get to ask THE question. When i first got comfrey, I planted it in what turns out the wrong place. Maybe. I just need to chop and drop . I took 40 some cuttings/crowns early in March and it's like i never took roots off of it! It has grown like gangbusters! Have you evernhad to move comfrey so it doesn't come back in that location?

[@louisegogel7973]

Haha good luck entirely moving it. Every tiny root will grow a new plant, so dig FAR out to get as many of the roots possible. Then move what you can get and set chickens for a couple of years over the spot you don’t want the comfrey to come back in.

[@amyb5339]

That's why I'm thinking to just chop and drop. I have a grapevine and rhubarb as neighbors. They will love the mulch

[@maryjane-vx4dd]

If you are planting nitrogen fixers,will the right bacteria and fungi be attracted to the nitrogen fixers when the fixers are pruned?

[@homesteadunhinged2726]

#permaculture Q&A Im wanting to learn permaculture/garden design but im not sure what classes I might should take to get going on that, any suggestions would be appreciated!

[@scottgregory4837]

Thank you so much for doing this video. One question if I my, can you feed Comfrey to Rabbits? Have a great day

[@hawglegs1776]

Will comfrey do well with Pecan Trees?

[@MiscMitz]

Thank you as always sir

[@ThePermacultureConsultant]

Thanks brother!

[@shirleytruett7319]

Do you need to fertilize the Comfrey

[@christinamcfarland8063]

I was unaware that we could put our olive trees in the ground in N Texas. Does it need extra help in the winter?

[@stepht5]

Ours did not need extra help during a”normal” winter. A few years ago when we had that crazy way below freezing weather for over a week is when we lost our olive tree.

[@dirtpoorhomestead4036]

#permaculture q&a do you know anything about Symphytum tuberosum comfrey and if its just as useful as russian comfrey?

[@johnhardison8145]

Will this grow well in the Philippines which is a tropical climate, needed to feed my animals.

[@danaconn6870]

Borage and Comfrey are in the same family. Can I treat my borage the same way?

[@vginnmusa3128]

How do rabbits like it? High rabbit pressure here in the high desert. They may not survive long enough to propagate!

[@hidawayhomestead524]

I don't know what I do wrong. I have tried planting comfrey ovee and over. Out of around 30 roots, I've managed to get 2 ity bity plants. Those 2 are in their 3rd year and are not getting any bigger 😢

[@stijnt2377]

how long had that comfrey been growing in this spot?

[@erbauungstutztaufgnade1875]

Can I use seeds from the ripe flowers and plant them anytime? Does someone here know that? Cause I can't cut it away from my neighbours. I dont have time watch the whole video, no disrespect but from his father I already know a bit.

[@peterellis4262]

The true comfrey produces fertile seeds, but none of the cloned "Bocking" varieties ("Russian Comfrey") produce viable seeds. Their seeds are sterile. So the question I can't answer is what kind of comfrey your neighbors have.

[@amyb5339]

Primarily bokking 4 & 14 are grown. The sumphytum species produces seeds. This variety attempts to take over the world, which is why the sterile types are preferred and propagated as William is showing. There is a pair of books with more comfrey information than is decent to speak of in public. The author is Nancy Shirley.

[@tpix2009]

Where can I get comfrey?

[@lindatrucks]

How do I contact your parents to buy comfrey?