Comfrey an Organic Fertilizer and Mineral Accumulator you can Grow at Home

[@alanmcdonald7496]

I appreciate this is an old video, but somebody might find this response to be useful. The video is very well presented and the analysis is most useful - for that one plant in one place. Like all analyses of soils and plant materials it is only a snapshot of the situation for that particularly time, place and plant. It is still of use to those who just want a general guide, although the elements are always dependent upon the soil in which the plant is growing. An element has to be in the soil before it can be taken up by the plant. I retired from more than 60 years farming last year, always with a kitchen garden, and can add a previous 10 years of only gardening to that. Over the years I had five farms in four countries and took soil samples regularly throughout that time, with leaf samples on a lesser number of occasions. I would normally go for testing every four years, although every three years for a couple of cycles if the first test showed a deficiency that needed attention. There are several species of Comfrey, some of which can be very invasive because of their seed dispersal, so be sure that if you want to use it for its plant nutrients, or as food - I eat it regularly and have done for a very long time. I have grown several cultivars of comfrey over the last 30 years and I am fairly certain that the plant in the video is not a Bocking 14. It looks (on film) as if it could possibly be a Bocking 4, but obviously I do not know. Comfrey species are not native to North America and as far as I know the only importation approved and passed by the authorities was a mixed lot of cultivars into Canada, from where they were introduced to USA. There have probably been other plants smuggled into the countries. Identification of the various Bocking cultivars is best begun with the original descriptions of Lawrence Hills. Note that Hills did not breed or develop these cultivars. He identified them from cuttings given to him from other growers, which he then grew on himself. He had realised at an early stage that the hybrid known as Russian Comfrey, or sometimes Quaker Comfrey in North America, was a very variable plant of numerous different cultivars. He painstakingly, over several years, identified more than 20 different cultivars amongst the plants he had been given. They were numbered as he identified each different cultivar, and not consecutively amongst the plants from each individual grower. He had the knowledge and ability to identify differences amongst plants. His descriptions of two of these, both of which I have grown, are as follows: Bocking 14. The flower stems are slender and frequent and are entirely wingless. The flowers are Imperial Purple 33/3 fading to Lilac Purple 031/3. The leaves are pointed, slightly serrated at the edges and vary in proportion from 5 to 12 and 3 to 6. Bocking 4. The flower colour is Bishop’s Violet 34/3 when fully open. It has strong stems and small wings. The leaves are broad and round tipped, their proportion is 5 to 10, but they have no incurling, therefore they appear far wider than a Nº1 for instance. The edges are unserrated, and the veins are prominent, with bristles thickest on the underside so that they appear smooth. At leafy stage these leaves are very large, recovering rapidly after cutting. The stems, as in all the variations under trial, are solid. Hills’ books give descriptions of most of the other cultivars to which he gave “Bocking” numbers.

[@ASentientPlant]

Which comfrey varieties are not invasive? 🙏

[@EricWhiteChooseGod1st]

Comfrey not only is good for your plants but, combined with other things can be used as a healing agent. Thank you for all your hard work.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Eric White I am glad you enjoyed the video my friend!

[@naturallivingdesigns2383]

I consider comfrey as an AllStar for all organic gardeners! Thanks for spreading this knowledge across the world Stephen. A compost pile over unwanted comfrey plants will help keep the plants from growing back.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I am glad you enjoyed the video ! I was surprised how well comfrey did ! If you compost on top will it kill the roots or once you move the pile will they come back ?

[@naturallivingdesigns2383]

In all my circumstances..the roots were killed and NEVER returned ever again.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

My back up plan was to use paving stones on top and leave them lol.

[@naturallivingdesigns2383]

***** (-:

[@HuwRichards]

Fantastic results my friend! Comfrey is such a great plant and what great amounts of nutrients it has. I really need to get some of the Bocking 14 variety and plant it in some empty spaces which when harvests will act as a really good mulch too.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I am glad you liked the video and information Huw! With the space you have im sure you can get a great harvest often to help your veggies!

[@ellisonrepair]

Well done video Stephen. Comfrey is praised by the permaculture crowd and now we have analysis to back it up.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Double Dog Farm ~ Shoestring Gardening on a KISS Principle Its always good to test ones assumptions! I will continue to use it knowing what its made of !

[@JasonSpenc]

I've watched a number of videos. In each you set the standard for professionalism, politeness and good taste in addition to great scientifically grounded content. Thank you.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice comment! I appreciate it very much!

[@leomitchell9643]

I appreciate the fact that you use a scientific/analytical approach. Testing, while not always accurate, is a good general indicator of analytical data. So many gardening assumptions are based on myth and old wives tales, passed down thru generations. Your willingness to do the legwork makes it easier for the average gardener to understand what's going on from a scientific viewpoint. Thanks!

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Leo that is exactly why I do this work and j vest my resources. I really hope average Gardner's are able To figure out what is or is not effective. I am glad you enjoyed the video ! Since posting this one I have done quite a few others checking out resources mentioned by people but never confirmed.

[@stevegillaspie8566]

Thanks Stephen, You and Patrick are doing youtubers a great service. You are hitting a vein many gardeners may not know about. Steve

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I am quite glad we are able to satisfy our inner curiosity while sharing the journey with youtube. I agree with you the science of organic gardening with free and local resources really needs to be developed here on youtube and other social media !

[@elysejoseph]

Nice to see the results confirm what many gardeners already know!!! I also use it externally for bruises and sprains, works beautifully!

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Lots of this work is based on my grandparents knowledge now I am just trying to unravel the science ;)

[@OneYardRevolution]

Very interesting results, Stephen! The potassium and calcium levels are surprisingly high in comfrey. Thanks for doing this!

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I was surprised to see such high levels ! 2% by weight calcium !

[@RevolutionGardens]

Might be just what's need for container tomatoes. They usually suffer from calcium depletion. Hey Gary Pilarchik, check out this video If you haven't seen it.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

It might help my friend !

[@RevolutionGardens]

***** Do you start Comfrey from seed?

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

You can Sabine RiverAuthority however I believe root cuttings are easier and faster. Patrick did an episode on it awhile back.

[@daddykirbs]

Nice video Stephen! I love my Comfrey plants. They are great for all the reasons you point out and they have some medicinal qualities as well. Keep it up buddy :)

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Blake Kirby Thank you Blake. In your area they can even provide ground cover and help with the erosion you suffer when it rains too hard. So many uses ;)

[@johnhope7236]

Blake Kirby I have comfrey planted near some of my apple trees. Michael Phillips (The Holistic Orchard) says the calcium is good for apples.

[@paul9813]

Don`t eat it, It ruins your liver over time

[@TheAbledGardener]

Thanks for the info Stephan. I've always wanted to grow Comfrey and recently planted some seeds. Now I'm glad I did, a lot of uses and great for my compost.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

***** Most of mine ends up in compost but it is very useful in a lot of others places ;)

[@suburbanhomestead]

I really need to get myself some comfrey. Thanks for all the info.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Double Dog Farm ~ Shoestring Gardening on a KISS Principle might be able to help you with that my friend!

[@suburbanhomestead]

nice

[@suburbanhomestead]

***** Thanks for the suggestion. I'll take a look.

[@joansmith3492]

Everyone says comfrey is good. It's very reassuring to see that the facts you presented here, back that statement up! Thank you for sharing this info.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Joan Smith Glad I could help my friend! it looks like comfrey is a good healthy source !

[@MarkGardiner1976]

Fantastic video. As a long time Comfrey user even I`m surprised by the high levels of Potassium and Calcium. No wonder tomato plants go crazy when using Comfrey mulch or tea. Thank you for this excellent video.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

VeganMinimalist Mark I am glad you enjoyed the video Mark. I think now we should look for a nitrogen only source.

[@sunilupadhya]

Another great video my friend. This makes me wonder, why I did not find you before. I sit on youtube and spend countless amount of time figuring out cheaper and efficient way of doing organic gardening, but you have almost all the materials I need in one place. I have thanked you on almost all your video, and I guess I will continue doing so :D

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Although I have nearly 200 videos that's a small number when compared to the millions being uploaded every day. Makes it tough some times :)

[@paulabeattie8565]

This is a great series, very well done and I love the clear explanations.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I am glad you enjoyed the series ! Let me know if you have any questions !

[@ant9228]

Love you videos man. I’m going to school to be a registered dietitian and the fact that you consistently use peer reviewed evidence has made your channel my favorite. I’ve commented a few times about iodine. I found a paper on iodine and soil I’m going to start reading. Curious is you would cover a video on iodine in soil. Thank you!

[@jfreshtrader2822]

Once again a GREAT video and well put together, keep up the hard work. Watching from Western Australia

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

+J Freshtrader (FreshTrader) Thank you my friend! I am quite glad to have you here watching all the way from Western Australia!

[@PermacultureHomestead]

love my comfrey, thx for the work here proving how benefical they are.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Permaculture Prepper As always my friend its my pleasure!

[@redddbaron]

I have always heard that comfrey is a great scavenger. Nice to see that confirmed. I don't grow comfrey as it is a type of plant for well watered and fertile soil generally good bottom land. I have high and dry poor soil currently. But nice to see the research. One day as I improve the soils here I will consider it!

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Red Baron Farm If you can keep it watered my friend it will grow in poor soils helping to take inorganic elements and make them plant available ;) I am glad you enjoyed the video!

[@arthursteinbrueggejr3961]

Sounds like my soil, rocky, full of clay, very low organic material. I knew comfrey would help my garden, and I wanted the comfrey and the garden to do well. I used a hand post hole digger and made three holes in my tough soil, 4 feet deep, and about 7.5 inches in diameter. Then got a 10 foot length of 6 inch PVC scheduled 40 pipe and cut it into 3 equal sections which I inserted in the holes. Then filled these pipes with a mixture of horse stable cleanings, and coco coir, and leaves, and then planted my comfrey in this pipe. This saved on watering the plant, it grew like crazy, other neighboring plants could not get to my soil mixture and steal the moisture and nutrients from it. Later removed the pipe and comfrey is doing well. Bocking #4 and #14 grow roots 6 to 15 feet deep. The comfrey leaves help put organic matter and nutrients but into my soil making it better.

[@sohansohan1875]

Wow!! This is truly new for me. Super great information Steven... thanks for share..

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I am glad I could help Anna!

[@ThorBonde]

You did it again :) thank you because of you i'm looking into labs here in scandinavia or germany i can do the same tests with, so i can one day confirm your results :) the future is gonna be awesome :)

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

That's fantastic Thor ! We are actually looking at getting some dried autumn leaves from one or two representative trees from Norway. That said I live in a similar climate to central Sweeden and you should be able draw similarities in our leaves. Coffee if you have the same chain store it should be fairly similar as well. Comfrey tends to vary more. Let me know if you need any help working through your sampling.

[@Allottedaaron]

On my new plot I have 6 comfrey plants so I am very much looking forward to using them for fertiliser on my plot this year. My plan is to add them like a giant tea bag to a water butt in order to make a load of comfrey tea. If I can get the solar setup sorted out in time I am going to aereate it as well with a pump but that may have to wait until later in the season asI don't have electricity on the plot currently. It is a bigger and therefore probably longer job but all part of the plan. Great video Stephen, and thanks for sharing.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Aaron Im looking forward to looking into no power uses of these free and local resources. I am fairly sure extraction can be done with no power and you get a great show of nutrients!

[@tomsimenauer143]

Thank you very much. You have a great way of presenting. I love using comfrey. God bless.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

tom simenauer I am glad you enjoyed the video and thank you my friend!

[@meehan302]

An informative vid Stephen - Comfey is a must for many reasons

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

As always it was my pleasure!

[@stevejacobson8958]

Great Video. I liked the information on the nutrients!! Keep up the good videos!!

[@BenJamin-zw2pv]

Thanks Stephen, I was surprised by just how high the NPK values were. I will be propagating them a little more actively from now on. I place mine all over the place particularly under fruit trees and below raised beds. Their deep tap root goes straight down and so doesn't compete much with fruit trees. The impenetrable leaf mass keeps weeds from penetrating raised beds and also soaks up nutrients leaching from the raised beds (very efficiently it seems). I must have the sterile type because although I've seen flowers I have not had an issue with seeds germinating. The bugs also love their green leaves and so are really great as a decoy plant to allow predatory insect numbers to increase. I sometimes make Comfrey teas but I usually just rip the leaves off periodically and drop them nearby. Great video mate

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Ben Jamin it looks like they are a great addition to organic gardening! I have noticed the insects quite enjoy the leaves ;) so does my compost!

[@BenJamin-zw2pv]

I've grown them for a while because of their ability to draw up minerals from deep in the soil. I've heard permaculturalists call them nutrient fountains. I didn't know they had such a high NPK though. I guess there is a lot of water in the leaves and what's left becomes quite concentrated when dried. They're so easy to grow and propagate, so they're a bit of a no brainer for me. Oh yeah, to eradicate a patch of comfrey - build a compost pile on top of it. :)

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Ben Jamin I have seen that a few times today ;) its a good tip if you want to get ride of it! I am going to look into other green materials. I have a hunch i want to follow that might lead to many more great resources!

[@oren.kirschenbaum]

Great episode! thanks Stephen!

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Thank you my friend! how was the audio?

[@oren.kirschenbaum]

***** Very good! thumbs up

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Thank you! I really appreciate the help my friend! I am saving up for another mic.

[@oren.kirschenbaum]

***** That's super :-)

[@bradgibson9159]

Comfrey is also great for feeding to compost worms too. I freeze mine before feeding to worms. It would be interesting to see the test results of comfrey grown in inert material in a pot vs comfrey grown in the ground in different soils.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Brad Gibson That would be a neat test! I will mark it down and see if I can't arrange something later!

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Comfrey is commonly known in organic gardening for its us as an organic fertilizer and trace mineral accumulator. But why? Well lets take a look at Comfrey's NPK and trace element loads and see how it stacks up! #comfrey #organicfertilizer #fertilizer #traceelements #traceminerals #free #local #sustainable #sustainablegardening #freeandlocalresources #organic #organicgardening kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqLNiGd7qbp2m5o

[@rickschulte8594]

Thank you so much, you gave more info, then i have found else where, been thinking of planting this, but was afraid of it over taking, not sure where i can even find this plant. I live in Washington state, I garden with as much organic ways as possible, Thank you agin. Sincerely Rick.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Rick I am glad I could help you out. There are a number of online sources in the US and i am sure Double Dog Farm ~ Shoestring Gardening on a KISS Principle can direct you as he lives in the same area of the world if i am not mistaken. I had noticed the same thing with Comfrey which is why I did the work on it. I wanted to see if my practice held true and to bring all of the information to once place. I am truly glad people find it useful!

[@backyardmetalcasting]

Thanks for that video Steven. It's great timing for me as I just planted some comfrey. I don't think mine was the number 14 though. I will have to look that up!

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

David D if not just make sure to toss the flower stalks and you should be more then good!

[@johnhope7236]

If you planted a variety with viable seeds, be careful, as it will spread rapidly and take over. From what I have read Bocking #4 is another variety that won't seed, the roots just don't penetrate at deep as #14.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I think Double Dog Farm ~ Shoestring Gardening on a KISS Principle said the same about 4

[@GunnerGibbons]

thanks for another great vid Steven

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

my pleasure

[@RevolutionGardens]

I planted the three seedlings a year ago, nothing really the first year, but wow this year, there all ready bloomed, attracting bees! There huge plants. I call this process the vicious cycle. I feed the leaves to my worms, and feed the comfrey the worm juice ( leche')

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

+Sabine RiverAuthority make sure it does not spread!

[@RevolutionGardens]

*****- lol i want it to spread. I have tons of tree leaves. No greens to compost.

[@rickschulte8594]

thank you I so appreciate such an quick response.😁, could I please ask you if it can be grown next a house foundation with a gravel walkway? it's a mobile home with a wood skirt. Thank you for your patience my northern garden friend😊 . Sincerely Rick

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

+Rick Schulte right next to the house works great my friend! the plant will get the benefit of the heat from the home and take advantage of any nutrients in the soil there.

[@preparedchipmunk]

This is fantastic. Thanks for doing and sharing this. Do you consider comfrey invasive or pesty?

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Comfrey can become a weed if your not careful. That said most of us spend time in our gardens regularly so it's probably not a huge issue but if in the wild yes it could be a major issue. I am glad you enjoyed the video!

[@Shinintendo]

I drowned couple of stinging nettles in a bucket with water for aprox 3 weeks. Added it into empty water bottles and poured it in, I wait to see any changes. so far it didn't kill any plants if it's any comfort :)

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

if you deprive it of oxygen it will ferment and then you should have a good little fertilizer !

[@dakotabob10]

That sounds like something that would be very useful in the garden Stephen.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

It turns out to be very useful ! Eric from double dog farms grows a bunch. On his land.

[@dakotabob10]

***** I will have to hit up Eric for some thins spring.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Make sure to give him a pm so he puts you on his list. I know most years he runs out.

[@ellisonrepair]

dakotabob10 Bob, Don't hit me to hard. Jerusalem artichokes and comfrey. I can do that. Remind me when your soil is workable

[@dakotabob10]

My JA's seem to be coming through winter storage alright. I just checked on them in the storeroom this morning. So, the comfrey maybe all I will need. It will be about 7 weeks from now. I drop you a line when it is same. it was -23 this morning. I bet you wish you had some temperatures like that. Ha ha.

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Great information Cheers from Victoria BC

[@priayief]

I thought you might be interested in a recently-published piece about Comfrey as a "dynamic accumulator" (www.gardenmyths.com/comfrey-dynamic-accumulator/). You are cited as having had a laboratory analysis done on this plant (most likely sourced from this particular video.

[@alanmcdonald7496]

@Captain Ron, I found this site via the link you gave. Pavlis sets out to be controversial. It is a waste of time anyone trying to question or debate with him - he mainly retorts with rude comments to people and is rarely helpful. Just see the comments below his articles and his responses. In the article (written 5 years ago) he says he has been gardening for over 45 years. At that time I had been gardening for over 65 years. So what? It proves nothing. He shows a distinct lack of knowledge of the very things about which he writes and begins in this case by saying that “Comfrey” is S.officinale. He disregards, or does not know, there are at least over 30 species of Symphytum and many are known as “Comfrey” of some sort. His description is rather poor by saying the flowers of both Common Comfrey and the variety S.officinale var. patens (without naming it) as if the one plant could produce both pink (patens has purple flowers) and white (more often cream or yellow) flowers. He shows a photograph, which probably is not the species. He then goes on to describe Bocking 14 as if it were a variety and not a cultivar. He is extremely disingenuous about rooting depth. The drawing he shows to “prove” S.officinale is shallow rooted is that of a small newly planted root cutting lying flat and just beginning growth. Obviously the roots are shallow because of its youth. They are also extremely fine. I have taken root cuttings of many comfrey plants over the years and none have had roots growing almost horizontally as in the drawing. Perhaps it was growing in a shallow container. I have been unable to determine why the drawing was made. The book in which the drawing appears is in German and nothing is available online. He is also very wrong about plants not absorbing nutrients at their maximum depth. This information has been known for at least 100 years. Professor John E. Weaver (of USA) was one of the foremost of his time on this subject. Pavlis’ decision that a “dynamic accumulator” is a plant which would absorb and retain at least 10 times more of a nutrient than an average plant, simply does not fit with the general understanding of a “dynamic accumulator”. It is very important to note that it is a definition he invented in a previous similar article, and not one used by others. I do not like the expression because it is not something that can really be defined with accuracy. All plants accumulate nutrients to some extent - otherwise they would have no value to us as food. Being dynamic means only to be positive or active, so our plants can be described as dynamic accumulators. This present video is a far superior source of information and advice.

[@TheZiggyman01]

Hi Steve, hope your well. could it be that the high levels of nutrients and large leaf grow was down to where you grew it, which may have already been fertilized from compost or leaf mulch? it would be interesting to see how it grows and its nutrient contents in soil that's not been amended to test how well it can accumulate the nutrients over its lifetime.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

It might change the content but likely slightly. It would be interesting :)

[@dennisshields7246]

Thank you for all the info. Great video.

[@coopw101]

Where does one acquire comfrey in Calgary. love your show its excellent. i want a garden like yours.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Coop W I am not sure my friend! I got mine from a friend in Calgary however they left. Double Dog Farm ~ Shoestring Gardening on a KISS Principle may be able to sell you some ? My friend a garden like mine is not hard. its simply following simple principles and selecting varieties that work well in your area.

[@ellisonrepair]

Coop W I sent some to Liam Schulze maybe he can pay some forward. May have to be next year after his become established. Eric

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I suppose I could do the same. Eric how large of a plant do I need to be able to cut some off?

[@ellisonrepair]

***** Most 1 inch segments of root will start a new plant.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Coop W give me an email and we can see if arrange something. [e-mail]

[@tessasilberbauer6219]

Thank you! I really appreciate your approach, especially how you explain why scientific evidence is missing for certain issues. My question is, is it worth investing time in green manures/ compost in container gardening? Thank you!

[@SteelFisher]

It surely is. Most plants will use up nutrient resources in a container. I just drenched all my container plants today. Alot of info I found here on the net doesn't mention to stir your comfrey tea daily. You want to do that to keep it from going anaerobic.

[@sherthom5672]

Very informative and surprising about the phosphorus and potassium levels. Your analysis shows me that I should NOT be using comfrey to enrich my soils right now, but that is only because my soil tests revealed that I already have too high of levels of P and K. I'm having to strategize on how to bring those values down while adding N-only sources.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Well I don't have an organic free cure for that yet. I plan on doing more sampling this summer of green compost materials to see if we can equip you with a nitrogen tool :) I would sill use it in your compost. Over time the pile will balance out and should not cause an extreme.

[@OneYardRevolution]

I suspect we'll get similar results when we test our soil in the spring. If so, I'll cut way back on the compost and plant more nitrogen fixing cover crops. We've been planting them every fall, but I'm thinking about interplanting them during the summer too.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

That's a great strategy. They will consume some of the P and K while leaving behind nitrogen.

[@atizeg]

Stinging nettle, anyone? :)

[@sherthom5672]

Maybe you won't have high values, Patrick. It will be interesting to see your results. Instead of raised beds, I am gardening in ground; my home is on former farmland, gets lots of upland runoff during the rainy season, and went through a 500 year flood in 2010, so maybe there are other sources than what I have been putting into the soil. I recently took new soil samples to have organic matter measured to see if that is a likely source for my high levels. But this is definitely yet another great video that I will be bookmarking as a reference.

[@1876Susan]

Thanks for your videos. They are so informative. I live in the arid canyon lands of Colorado, just over 5100 ft. After it gets established, will comfrey grow in a shadier location here? Also, I understand tansy is high in potassium. As it prospers in a shadier spot of my garden, I started some tansy tea. Has anyone else used tansy as a tea fertilizer? I don't use chemicals on my garden, so always looking for ways to boost my soils fertility. Thanks again.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I am glad my videos are of help to you my friend. Unfortunately I don't have any information on Tansey tea as its not something I have around. I am sure if you took some time you could find research on the nutrient value.

[@OrganicGrowLife]

Thank you for the Excellent research.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Your welcome my friend !

[@hgw90026]

Thank Stephen, extremely informative, was really looking forward to this episode. So how much comfrey do I need to "fertilize" my plants. Can you do an analysis on just regular worm casting and casting fed exclusively comfrey. Would the casting retain all the NPK and the elements or do I need to use it at the compost level? Thanks

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Harold Im not sure if there is an application technique that can be recommended. I believe that has a lot to do with the soil you have and the plants that need it. Rather then recommending application rates I can recommend another application technique. hit up the beds one at a time. Because the plants only yield a little bit at a time it will take you a few weeks to get through an entire garden. once done start again. This way you are hitting every plant with nutrients over time. I would love to do a worm trial however I dont have the space right now for them. ill write it down for future trials or If I find someone whom is interested Ill help them do it. Like Patrick said on his video yesterday a healthy mulch layer and compost will release nutrients over time and your plants will love it!

[@hgw90026]

***** Stephen, I just found this database, www.ars-grin.gov/duke/plants.html How does it compare with Maxxams' analysis?

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Were you able to find a report on their analysis? If so can you email it to me at [e-mail]?

[@tovaritchboy]

Now it is a challenge to GET some, tried this last summer 2017 and NO garden center had any. SO now on the hunt for NEXT spring. If you know of a place in the Calgary area let me know. OR if have to will go to garden center in Edmonton.

[@edwinreffell6201]

i have silt and clay soil but around where i have comfrey that soil is much less compact and softer. comfrey grows wild here with skyblue, purple or beige flowers. i do not treat it as a weed but only remove it if it is growing in rows where i have plants. if it is between rows i just cut it down and put everything in the compost. as of this year i shall mulch the garden.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Edwin Reffell I have been quite happy with the results and now I know why! Now I just need to be sure I don't overload the soil with P and K and not enough nitrogen. :)

[@morganicwisdom6685]

Great job! you make nice videos, very informative. I think you should do one on garden gnomes I'm thinking of getting one this year for the garden. Do they promote plant growth? Help soil quality? Keep bugs away? Are they a sound investment for the garden? that kind of stuff. Anyways have nice day, peace bro...

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I am very glad you enjoy the videos! I think ill have to do a garden gnome video promoting their wild and crazy benefits in the garden. I don't remember if I had one in this video but my nephew gets me one for my birthday each year ;) I have a few now!

[@priayief]

Sheesh! I've seen all of your videos (excellent information in all) and I was re-viewing this one when I noticed you made a reference to using a comfrey compost tea. Most of my veggie gardening info is from .edu and .gov sites and I find the information posted on your site is compatible with their objective approach. I have yet to see a science-based field trial that convinces me that any kind of compost tea is really worth the effort. Hence, my surprise at seeing you recommend it. I would love to hear your views on this subject. I see that "one yard revolution" (another excellent site, like yours) is doing a field test this year. Much looking forward to seeing the results. Might be enough to change my mind.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Captain Ron Thank you Ron I am really glad you enjoy my videos! I did not necessarily advocate for the use of AACT in this video however I did mention it as both OneYardRevolution | Frugal & Sustainable Organic Gardening and I have yet to test the effects for ourselves. I do think your right though in identifying that there is potential for this practice not really being supported by academia

[@LCJfarms]

great vid

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Thank you my friend !

[@dickout123]

I wonder if Comfrey would be really healthy to eat considering its nutrient profile.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Jay Lennah We did not test for the full compliment of nutrients such as proteins and vitamins So i would be cautious. I did come across papers talking about it as a medicinal however they cautioned against ingestion.

[@PerimeterPermaculture]

Good job guy!

[@Leeofthestorm]

Hi. I love your series of videos. A link to your site was posted in a thread on Permies.com, about the need for science in coming up with accurate data on Dynamic Accumulators. There is scant information available, and I really appreciate the energy that you put into this comfrey trial. You speak in this video about the immediate and long term availability of NPK, but I don't recall any mention of the same immediate and long term availability of the trace minerals, particularly calcium, which Comfrey, so it seems, is the Dynamic Accumulator of. While I have no doubt that comfrey accumulates the calcium, I'm curious as to when it is available to other plants. Are you planning to do long term analysis of your soil to find out when the calcium that is locked up in larger molecules becomes available in the nutrient cycle? Thanks again for an excellent series.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

+rob Mercereau unfortuently this video is as far as I went that said there is lots of peer reviewed literature that supports the results I got. The calcium is available once the comfrey breaks down. Unlike eggshells that it takes time to release.

[@AnnettepSalmon]

Thanks so much for this!

[@KarCar13]

Hello Sir, I'm a member of the Morinville community gardens an I was wondering were we could get some comfrey to help get are compost pile improved. Thanks love your shows

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Turns out my compost and garden soil was verging on too many nutrients. So I gave mine away and have simplified my garden.

[@KarCar13]

Ok thanks anyways

[@joyannes9338]

Great video thank you! 😊

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I am glad you enjoyed the video !

[@priayief]

Hello again Stephen. Hope you're wintering well. Its not often I change my gardening practices but you and Patrick Dolan (OneYardRevolution) have convinced me to incorporate Comfrey for mulching and composting. I would appreciate your advice: I will be building my raised bed with cinder blocks then filling in with a type of "Mel's Mix" soil (the ground level soil is rocky and hard). I understand that Comfrey has deep, aggressive roots so I'm wondering if I should build 1 course (about 8" deep) or two?

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

+Captain Ron comfrey you can put in your native soil. Although it is hard comfrey will be fine no need to worry! try one plant for now and if you want more you can split the root and get your second one for free ;) I am really glad I can help you and hope to continue to provide you value for your garden!

[@priayief]

Well, its 4 months later and I've ordered, received and planted 8 roots (Bocking 14) in a dedicated raised bed. I didn't have the heart to plant in our extremely poor soil (as you suggested) so used about 6 inches of good soil. That plant grows like a weed! Can't say it works well as a mulch as it breaks down quickly - almost like tissue paper after a week. I do notice however, that the more I cut it, the more it seems to grow. Thanks again for your help.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I am glad i could help my friend!

[@gottheilj]

Thank you for this important information. One point: comfrey can only accumulate minerals that exist in the soil. Not all soils are equal.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Jerry Gottheil Your right there are some soils that have a less balanced content. I will actually be working on a study to look at the native soils in the province to see what the variances are.

[@atizeg]

Stephen, do you really need to "feed" comfrey (1:25) ? I thought it's a though plant (weed) and able to bring up nutrients from deep, like trees?

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Yes and no. As its a soft bodied vegetative plant it often is short on nitrogen. The rest it in theory should be able to mine. That said I'm sure it would do fine anywhere else !

[@atizeg]

***** Thanks, so, with a lower grade plant you feed a higher grade one, what feeds you. Gardening can be a better strategic game than in computers...

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

atizeg thats basically it ;) grow fertilizer to grow food for yourself!

[@jimsmij]

Anyone that learns about Comfrey will search it out and have it growing before long. Spread the word. :)

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I agree its a valuable tool for organic gardeners!

[@RevolutionGardens]

***** Great video Steven. I shall begin searching for comfrey. Should I buy seed, or transplants? Thanks :)

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I got a root and planted that. If your looking for a source in the US Id call Double Dog Farms. He should be able to help you out.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Thank you for the kind words !

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Double Dog Farm ~ Shoestring Gardening on a KISS Principle is the guy

[@RevolutionGardens]

***** Dang it, I missed this post. I just order 3 roots from a herb company in Al. Sorry Double Dog Farm ~ Shoestring Gardening on a KISS Principle, next time

[@ellisonrepair]

Sabine RiverAuthority I have Russian Bocking #4. My brother was calling it Bocking #14 for years and now thinks it's #4. :-) Either way a sterile cultivar propagated usually by roots.

[@MonsieurDeepGreen]

Interesting. James Duke and Mark Pederson both show no nitrogen. It would seem that plant tissue reflects what's in the soil that it is growing in. Did you also test the soil where your comfrey was growing?

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I have not sampled in the area of my comfrey and you are likely correct if there is a deficiency it will likely be represented in the plant tissue. If there is a surplus likely you would not see any differences. Nitrogen is a tough nutrient to capture. It is relatively transient and is often tied up in more complex molecules.

[@robertsterling9819]

Wait, I don't understand- does comfrey not merely suck up the minerals that are in your soil?

[@bigoldgrizzly]

One thing to watch out for........ Bees absolutely love comfrey flowers .... this can be a problem if the comfrey bed is too close to your fruit as these flowers may be 'starved' of pollinators affecting yields. Easy solution - cut your comfrey plants for composting before they flower

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Good to know. Thanks for sharing

[@mccallum7aaron]

Do you know of any reputable sources to purchase a sterile verity in Canada?

[@spear4food636]

Hi, at last someone has some real npk numbers. Are the comfrey nutrient benefits the same when it’s in a tea form?

[@TEL1415]

I live in Oakville, Ontario and would like to know if I could buy a plant or two from you please.

[@cqammaz53]

Where did you purchase your comfrey tuber???

[@legham21]

I have trouble finding comfrey anywhere. I finally found some seeds but have had no luck germinating any of them. Do you have any links to where I can find some tubers or seeds?

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

I would give +doubledogfarm a private message. He may be able to help you. I might not have been able to link him in on my phone so message back so I can.

[@legham21]

***** Thanks, I just sent him a pm. I'll let you know how it goes.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Excellent !

[@ellisonrepair]

Liam Schulze I personally would not buy seed of Common comfrey. (Symphytum officinale) that has viable seed. Russian comfrey (Symphytum × uplandicum) is a a sterile cultivar and less like to become invasive. Unless you are like my brother and spread it around with his tractor. A one inch segment can give you another plant. :-) :-(

[@Dhirajben]

Can you use only comfrey in my vegetable garden and no other fertilizer to grow my veggies?

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

+Vinod Karia I am not sure I have not tried only comfrey. I also divert waste from my kitchen to the garden and that lets me go with our fertilizer. I explain more in this clip. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJmWeWWalLx5iqc

[@SudeeshSubramanian]

Do you know a plant which is as effective as Comfrey, or at least similar to it as a free fertilizer? I don't think its easily available in India.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Not that i have found but most plants if used in compose will make a good fertilizer.

[@booswalia]

Comfrey is not common where I live. I have a comfrey plant that someone gave me but it has a mildew on it. Should I just get rid of it?

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Shirley G You can try to grow it in a pot letting it dry out a little bit.

[@booswalia]

***** Wow! That was quick. I haven't even finished watching the video yet. LOL! Thanks. I'll try that.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Glad I could help and I hope you enjoyed the video!

[@Leeofthestorm]

Just wanted to post a link to the thread on Permies.com, so that you can check it out, and maybe post information there. It would be very much appreciated by all. Thanks in advance.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Thank you for sharing my video. I really appreciate it !

[@10knucklechuckle]

Anyone know where to get comfrey seeds in Canada?

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

Check EBay.

[@paul9813]

richters in ontario, east of toronto

[@MrMac5150]

Do some more testing.

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

You know I will. I have to save up to do it lol.

[@truesight91]

I don't think anything comes close to Comfrey when it comes to an all in one garden assistant.

[@Leeofthestorm]

Here's the link: www.permies.com/t/40/53073//truth-Dynamic-Accumulators-Science-needed#438630

[@AlbertaUrbanGarden]

+rob Mercereau I will check it out later. If you go to my website I have the entire script and analysis posted there too.