How to Make Comfrey Tea | Organic Fertiliser for your Garden

[@terrykingsallotmentgardening]

Excellent tutorial Liz and it's been a pleasure joining you on your channel, take care my friend's. ♻️Happy gardening, Terry King.

[@LizZorab]

Thank you so much for your help with this video Terry, I'm looking forward to the next collab video with you!

[@terrykingsallotmentgardening]

@@LizZorab ♻️👍😁♻️

[@Growveguk]

Anyone else have an entire subscription list of Allotment channels??? I honestly haven't sat down and watched the TV for years, get home from work and have my tea then it's Allotment YT time!! Terry, good to see the Bocking 14 is doing well, my patch is still pushing out growth! What a fantastic plant it is for nutrition. Lovely video Liz, thanks for the entertainment and pillowcase tip!

[@tomfisher3117]

I've used comfrey tea for years. I also chop and drop it as mulch. I use Russian Bocking 14 with an NPK of 1.8-0.5-7.0. I brew it in a 32 gallon black garbage can. Let it sit for 3 months to a year. I don't strain it, I just take the sprinkler off the can so I don't clog up the cans. I also use fermented plant juice made from comfrey which I foliar spray. I use only 1/4 teaspoon for 5 gallons. It's very powerful stuff. I also make lacto microorganisms which is also fermented. I combine it with the fermented plant juice and spray it every two weeks. It works pretty well. The only other addition I use for supplemental fertilization is some fast acting bone meal . I will use it when I start to see flowers forming on my tomatoes and peppers. Love it! Blessings to you. This was a wonderful video.

[@michaelmcclafferty3346]

Thanks Liz. I love the way you introduce fellow YT publishers like Tony and Terry on your channel. That’s unusual and very welcome. Thanks again.

[@LizZorab]

There are so many gardeners out there with so much wisdom and experience. I like to learn from them and to share their knowledge.

[@JustineDodd]

Awesome idea,the pillowcase! i have a tonne of comfrey and was about to make a big messy tea - now it will be so much easier to deal with at the other end - thanks for the great content

[@earthmagic1]

I love comfrey. Mine is harvested every six weeks and put as is into a barrel with an airtight lid and a tap. Over the year, as it rots down, it becomes a thick concentrated brown liquid. It's then stored in plastic milk bottles in its concentrated form. I've gardened in Australia and the UK using this method.

[@MinnieAcresFarm]

So helpful as I've just ordered comfrey and I can't wait to grow it 😁

[@simonadunn7168]

Liz, love your idea of using the pillow case. It’s so practical and a lot less fuss regarding straining.

[@elegantsufficiency2866]

I'm really enjoying your format of introducing other growers; it's so interesting. Also, that has to be the biggest tea bag I have ever seen!!!

[@LizZorab]

It's a massive tea bag! LOL

[@sonjacohn2303]

Wow! That is a fantastic ides, Liz, to put it all in a pillowcase; much easier to remove again. Thank you for sharing! 🙃

[@michaelmcclafferty3346]

A great video Liz and Tony, thanks. It’s great how you make connections with other growers whom I watch.

[@anchaleegrinins1096]

Love your simple and efficient system setup! Genius!

[@LizZorab]

Glad you like it!

[@stevendowden2579]

i been making it for years great stuff

[@myrustygarden]

Apparently we can’t get comfrey here in Canada but I will try US once the border opens again 😂 eventually. Loved Terry’s channel Tony aka the guru suggested him too. What a great allotment to see and always great to see new people and ideas. As always stay safe and stay gardening 🧑‍🌾🇨🇦🥕🙏🥬☮️🌶🍆

[@terrykingsallotmentgardening]

♻️👍😎😁🌱

[@geoffanddebshipton6797]

Great video Liz - love the pillowcase idea. Just like a giant tea bag!

[@karenslater343]

Good information from you both thank you.

[@terrykingsallotmentgardening]

Cheers Karen. ♻️Happy gardening, Terry King.

[@ExploringNatureTogether]

Oh so cool that you've got Terry, Liz! Terry is an authority on homemade liquid feed! A perfect choice!! What a great idea!! Kudos to you both! What an awesome video!! 💚💚💚

[@terrykingsallotmentgardening]

🌹👍😎😁

[@ExploringNatureTogether]

More people learning from the master!💚@@terrykingsallotmentgardening

[@LizZorab]

Thanks Chris, I figured that there's no point in me watching Terry's videos and regurgitating it on my channel, it's so much better to have folks who really know their stuff share it with us.

[@ExploringNatureTogether]

Well put Liz! You're fabulous at collaboration and bring in the best of the best! I enjoy that about your channel very much! It adds knowledge, variety, introduces other KZbinrs and has a professional feel to it! It's a perfect blend of you and great gardeners combined! 💚@@LizZorab

[@ruthjohnson1001]

Ooh pillow cases! Great idea, I should try it out. Thanks! 😄

[@theirishcountrywoman6218]

love the idea of use the water butt for the comfrey Liz (and the pillowcase! lol) Terry I love the concentrate comfrey pipe and weight system!! Great Ideas!!!

[@AAHomeGardening]

Comfrey is so good for the garden Thanks for the lovely video as usual

[@LizZorab]

Thank you so much 😀

[@AAHomeGardening]

@@LizZorab you're welcome

[@annmatthews3579]

Very helpful video Liz

[@melanieallen8980]

thankyou!!!

[@richardnicholson9016]

Think I will go down your route Liz, great video thanks the both of you

[@LizZorab]

Please come back next year and let me know how you've got on.

[@dogsbod2]

I wondered if it was too late in the year to make so I just added a load to my compost heap. I’ve got a good source that I forage on my walk.

[@gudi361]

Thanks for this video! It took me ges to find comfrey plants here in Germany. Shortly after buying it I found them when I was out walking 😕. I usually cut up the leaves and put them at the bottom when planting tomatoes. During the summer I mix some with water in my high performance mixer for instant food. Must try the tea! Will go out any second now to see what is left this year. Hope I find a spare pillow case as well. Lol!

[@LizZorab]

Wonderful!

[@deborahzamora479]

Another really good one Liz. Sound information, as usual. I am having trouble finding any type of comfrey for my garden. I live in W. state up by Canada and it never shows up in the nurseries around here, hopefully I can find some or some seed this year.

[@chococat9685]

try etsy, that's where i got some.

[@lindaparent240]

I got some from Strictly Medicinal Catalog! Very happy with my Bocking 14 comfrey!

[@deborahzamora479]

@@lindaparent240 thanx, me too, now.

[@valoriegriego5212]

Leave it up to a woman to think of using a pillow case as a filter. Great idea Liz. I'll be using it.🙂

[@alexcole4970]

Leave it to KZbin comments for Sexism

[@alexcole4970]

;@)

[@beauburrell3318]

@@alexcole4970 sexism?? It is fully understood women who harvest out of gardens & cook in the kitchen, actually enjoy the routine of keeping the place serene. Cleaning is a huge part of it. The majority of women are homemakers, note they birth children, so many need to nurture their children & clean to keep the place tranquil for everybody. Women have very creative & instinctual approaches in the homestead, it is not sexist to say a woman would discover a pillow case is the perfect straining approach than a man would discover this. Let's stop the "Woke" judgement please.

[@TheEnglishladyskitchengarden]

Hi Liz. I've just ordered a signed copy of your book but couldn't find anywhere to add a personalised message. No worries. I look forward to reading it.

[@LizZorab]

Thank you so much! I will be contacting everyone who ordered a personalised copy before I write in it to confirm whether there is a particular message. You will hear from me or Mr J in late January or early February. 😃

[@feathernow]

I like your simple method Liz. Is it possible to plant your cuttings at beginning of Dec or is that too late, am I better waiting until next spring? Thanks

[@Nimbleful]

Hi Liz, I've read that comfrey contains Pyrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) which are toxic to consume internally. Do you know if when we put comfrey on the plants whether they take up the PAs? I wouldn't want to add something that would make the plants a little toxic to eat.

[@deecooper1567]

How long can comfrey tea be stored? Do you have to use it right away? I’m in Nevada US high sandy desert & have planted comfrey last year to get the benefits as I have over the years made sand into soil with natural amendments in my raised beds.

[@LizZorab]

As far as I understand, it can be stirred for ages 😃

[@lindaparent240]

Liz, I do make comfrey tea as well. My question for you is this: Do you cover your tea as you steep it? My understanding is if you don’t provide air it will be anaerobic. Isn’t anaerobic tea full of bad bacteria? I need to be educated about this! Love your channel!

[@LizZorab]

Hi Linda, I do put the cover on the water butt, but it's not air tight so oxygen can still get in and other gases can escape. 😀

[@michaelodowd4613]

Curious as too what size water butt you were adding the pillowcase of leaves to as I have a 300ltr water butt so would like to get the right ratio and let it steep over winter ready for next year. Thanks

[@LizZorab]

Hi Michael, it's a small 90lt water butt. I don't think you need to worry too much about exact ratios, but if you stuff a 300lt full of comfrey, you are going to have a LOT of comfrey tea! 😀

[@apeironfarm1521]

How long does the concentrate keep?

[@chrisjensen1814]

Can someone here please point me to where I can buy a suitable container with spout and lid that I can use for making this compost tea? I’m in the US, thank you!

[@LizZorab]

Any bucket with or without a lid will work just as well.

[@chrisjensen1814]

@@LizZorab thank you! Do you know of any good container with lid and spout though? I don’t want to subject my neighbor to the smell and I would prefer a spout for ease of filling my watering can

[@twitchcharbees_]

Oooooo the bog of eternal stench 😆

[@LizZorab]

You get Brownie Points for quoting from one of my favourite films! 😀

[@twitchcharbees_]

@@LizZorab my favourite film...Ever! You have good taste 😆

[@sarahgardiner1649]

Watch out for the ROUSs!

[@angelat4639]

the pillow is a great idea! Do you use it again or just throw it away, once its done? i guess it could be quite hard to get it clean again?

[@LizZorab]

Hi Angela, the cotton pillowcase also rots down over time (not as fast as the comfrey), so I just put a different one in the water butt each year. I've only had it there for three years, so I can't say how long it would be before the whole thing needed a clean out.

[@angelat4639]

@@LizZorab Oh thank you, i will try that! I really like your way of making things work. Not just with that pillow, but in general! You are a great inspiration to me, because I´m only just starting with a little garden, but would like to do a lot more one day. Best wishes from Austria!

[@fatherofchickens7951]

I’ve made this before. And I can just barely smell this as I watch this video🤣

[@Pete.Ty1]

😊👍

[@pio4362]

I ordered the seed of the "Symphytum Officinale" variety recently, will that be ok? I take it that the ratio of Comfrey leaves to rainwater doesn't matter so much? I didn't notice any figures from you at the end. How long did you let your pillowcase/teabag in there, by the way? Thanks!

[@LizZorab]

Hi, you'll need to stay on top of removing unwanted seedlings of your comfrey in years to come. It doesn't matter too much how munch comfrey you use - the more the better - almost! You can leave the leaves in for as long as you like (minimum 3 to 4 weeks).

[@mikeharrington5593]

Are we missing a trick with comfrey tea (or compost tea from other plants decomposed by anaerobic digestion)? My point is that the resulting "compost tea" must be diluted to a 1:10 ratio because using at 1:1 is likely to be too strong & kill the plants being treated. Therefore, is it not possible to use the 1:1 ratio as a weedkiller in several treatments to remove unwanted plants ? Has anyone tried this idea intentionally, or by accident, or have there been any botanical studies of this idea to determine whether it could be an effective application on a general range of weeds, or unwanted grasses? (However, I suspect that the toughest, deepest rooted grasses would be impervious).

[@ansievicente]

Lovely videos, but it left me with one question, please? You both mention that it's a bit late in the season. I'm in the Southern hemisphere, so would almost mid-summer be a good time to make comfrey tea?

[@LizZorab]

Yes now would be a great time to make it. :-)

[@ansievicente]

@@LizZorab yay! I have two clumps of the seeding variety, so there's lots of plant material to work with.

[@paul-ne1bh]

wHAT A GOOD IDEA A PILLOW CASE to drain it,THE wife will not be vary pleased when her pillow cases go missing ,

[@vmcougarintn5035]

HI, ducks!

[@franceslecke1856]

What is comfry

[@LizZorab]

It'a latin name is Symphytum.

[@missourigirl4101]

I was fit to be tied last week. My husband weed eated down my comfrey!!!! He knows it's my plants but he really doesn't care about anything but his grass. Drives me crazy.

[@LizZorab]

Oh no! I'm so sorry to read this!

[@missourigirl4101]

So why does he only use comfrey tea on fruits ?

[@LizZorab]

It's to give them an additional boost just as they are setting fruit.