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COMFREY GUIDES

large green leaves and tiny purple flowers growing from a comfrey plant outside

Comfrey vs BorageFertiliser – For TomatoesGrowing From SeedHarvestingRoot CuttingsVarieties

Comfrey is an implausibly useful industrial plant to turn in an organic and sustainable garden .

However , some cumfrey that is normally grow is selected because it is sterile , or , in other words , it will not go down seed .

purple flowering comfrey with long thin leaves growing in a field in front of white flowering umbels outside

Sterile cultivars are often select because , for all its benefits , comfrey can also become a pain in the neck in the awry place setting when it can set cum and spread on its own .

The abstruse roots of the flora can make it hard to extinguish once it has colonised an surface area .

However , some gardeners may still adjudicate to grow comfrey ( such asSymphytumofficinale ) which can be grown from germ .

close-up of the purple flowers from a comfrey plant growing outdoors

Make indisputable you select non - unfertile cumfrey to collect source from or purchase the ripe character of seeds for your needs .

If you would like to grow non - sterile healing herb from seeded player :

However , consider that other methods of propagation are quicker and easier .

someone scattering seeds into a trough-shaped hole that has been dug into soil in the ground

scan on for a more in - depth account :

Can You Grow Comfrey From Seed?

Symphytumxuplandicum‘Bocking 14 ’ is the most common sterile cultivar develop .

It is a intercrossed ofS. asperumandS. officinale .

This plant does not set viable seeds and so can not be circularise in this direction .

a small potted comfrey seedling being held over soil outside

However , species types which do set seed , such asS.officinalecan be grown from seed .

This is not the easy means to propagate these plant , and in the main , circularize by division or root cutting is far easier , but sow in semen can provide you with many new plants at one sentence .

There are alsoother types of comfreythat you could spread by seed , but these are nowhere near as plebeian in the UK .

blue flowering comfrey plant

When To Sow

Comfrey seeded player can be sown either in natural spring or autumn .

you may plant your seed where they are to grow in natural spring , after the last rime date in your area , but for better results , you should seed them undercover , in a cold frame , or in another unwarmed secret growing country .

1) Sow The Seeds

Comfrey seeds need a point of cold stratification , so if they have not been expose to a period of cold , damp condition over the winter , it can be best to place them in a fridge for a month or two in moist pot soil or a paper towel prior to seed .

However , this may not always be necessary .

Sow sow into a seed tray or flat fill with a suitable seed starting medium and cover them over lightly with the seed - originate potting mix .

Seeds should germinate within a couple of weeks or so when originate in the ripe conditions .

Soil temperature for most successful germination should be between around 15 - 25 ° coke .

2) Move To Individual Pots

Once sprouting has necessitate position , and your seedlings are prominent enough to cover , prick each one out and pot it up into its own individual pot fill with apeat - devoid multi - purpose potting mix .

Since comfrey plants have deep base and grow rapidly , opt pot at least 15 - 20 centimeter deep .

“ I like to make planting plugs using the cardboard core of kitchen cast , as this give you a rich pot without using too much compost , ” shares Master Horticulturist Dan Ori .

“ When it is time to found out , you could use a bulb planter to make the planting hole and can peel away the cardboard roll , but I implant it with the peal still on as it breaks down in the soil quickly . ”

5L pots are usually the right size .

3) Overwinter

Comfrey plant should be grown in pots , check that they are water well and regularly , and it is generally unspoiled to keep them cloak-and-dagger in a glasshouse or polytunnel for their first winter so that they become well - established .

4) Plant Out

After they have spent their first wintertime in pots undercover , your cumfrey plant can then be planted out into their concluding raise position the next outpouring , after the last frost in your area .

recollect , select your emplacement carefully , as you will observe it very unmanageable to eradicate comfrey from a specific location if you later determine to move it .

The roots can turn over metres into the grunge , and the plant can regrow from root section .