# Comfrey seeds?



## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

Where oh where can I find Comfrey seeds? The type used as fertilizer.

I can't find them anywhere! :help:


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

This should be interesting. I grow huge amounts of comfrey and use the leaves as fertilizer and home remedies, but have never heard of using the seeds. Is there an article somewhere? I searched for comfrey seeds and all I got were packages of ten LOL


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

even 10 seeds would be a start!!
( I need the seeds to grow the comfrey so I can use it)


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## majik (Feb 23, 2005)

I got plants from Richters. They also have seeds and will ship to the US: Richters Herbs - Medicinal, Culinary, Aromatic - Plants & Seeds


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

I also bought plants from Richters. They sell comfrey seeds for $3.75 per pack.


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

I had no idea you could get seeds. I got a start years ago from a good friend's patch!


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

***WARNING, TAKE HEED***

Comfrey that grows from seeds, is NOT sterile, and will spread like wildfire. If you ever let it go to seed, you will greatly regret it! The roots can exceed 8 feet in depth. 

You are far better off getting starts of Comfrey Bocking14, OR Roots, or Plants. This IS sterile, is a bunching plant, propagates via roots, and does not produce seeds. This variety should be planted where you permanently want it. I currently have 50 Comfreys growing out in my garden areas (ONLY Bocking14). I will be planting more in my orchard, and will have at least 80, then.

I sell Comfrey Bocking14 plants in the Barter Forum here on HT, if you can't find a local source.


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

lorichristie said:


> ***WARNING, TAKE HEED***
> 
> Comfrey that grows from seeds, is NOT sterile, and will spread like wildfire. If you ever let it go to seed, you will greatly regret it! The roots can exceed 8 feet in depth.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the warning.... kinda like a mint plant on steroids aye?


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

Lori...only 50? lol

It took me forever to figure out why people were freaking out about comfrey, when we moved here 30 some odd years ago there was a comfrey patch, small one. It stayed that way. When I moved back here 5 years ago I started spreading it around. It CAN be removed from an area if you are persistent. So I guess I have the "right" kind.

I've never heard of comfrey seeds being used as fertilizer...there's much more to be had in the leaves. So I guess you have your answer, Kaz...go for the rhizomes of the right variety. It really is a great plant (in my opinion). Livestock can eat it as well.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Kazahleenah said:


> Thanks for the warning.... kinda like a mint plant on steroids aye?


It is a bunching plant, so the main issue is not tilling around it (roots broken grow more plants...). As long as you have a Sterile variety, you are good! The seeding type, however, won't make friends of neighbors...


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

WhyNot said:


> Lori...only 50? lol
> 
> *I use it for livetock food, for Comfrey Oil/Salve, for Fertilizer, for Compost, and also for Mulch. I use a LOT of it!*
> 
> ...


I'd be surprised if the seeds are used as Fertilizer, as it would sure take a lot of seeds. The leaves are used, as you wrote.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

For a long time I wondered about people planting comfrey as my one venture turned into a multi-year effort to get rid of it. I guess I just had the wrong kind.
What about planting it like bamboo in a contained area?


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Where I want to, please read below:

Comfrey Bocking14 is EASY to contain, just don't till around it, as the broken roots will grow more plants. It is NOT like Mint, will not spread all over the place, unless you break the roots... It will not set seed as it is sterile. I have Comfrey growing in raised beds, an in-ground garden, and also will have it soon in my orchard. Out of 50 plants, there are ZERO new ones (except for what I have propagated myself).


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

I'll have to get my hands on about 4 of that sterile Blocking 14 then to start me out. 
Livestock can eat it and it doesn't harm them? That, I didn't know. 

(I didn't plan to use the seeds as fertilizer, I thought to grow them from seed.... yeeks!)


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

Kazahleenah said:


> Livestock can eat it and it doesn't harm them? That, I didn't know.
> 
> (I didn't plan to use the seeds as fertilizer, I thought to grow them from seed.... yeeks!)


I guess it was the way I read your OP, it looked to me like you intended to use just the seeds for fertilizing...I thought...how odd LMAO

I sell truckloads of comfrey leaves and flowers to people who make soap and for people's livestock. From my experience you can feed it to horses, cows, donkeys, sheep, goats, chickens, and pigs.

Do not feed comfrey exclusively, additive only, do not feed the rhizomes to livestock. Everyone I know that uses it uses it as silage. Rabbits and cows tend to avoid it until it wilts. The comfrey fields up here, I'm told, yield up to 4 tons per acre (dry), making it a similar yield to alfalfa.

The nice thing about comfrey is that the longer it is in its spot, the more it yields. The more you cut, the more it yields. It's my favorite plant. The goop that is in the stalks works great on bruises too. In the larger flower stalks, there is a goop similar to the goop that is in an aloe plant. I use that fresh when needed but also before winter I collect a lot of it and freeze it. Works really well on burns and makes great muscle balm too.

Too much of anything is not good. Especially rabbits would have to be weaned onto it if all they are eating are pellets and the occasional hay. The lady I sell the most to uses the flowers and the oils from the leaves for her goat's milk soap and she feeds it at about 25% twice a week to the goats as silage. Farmer's up here feed it at about 17 to 25% to dairy cows in their silage as well...although I have no idea if that is a daily thing or not, I suspect not.

It's like using diatamacious earth as a feed additive, you don't give them buckets of it, I think most feed DE to livestock here at around 2 to 5%


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## Kazahleenah (Nov 3, 2004)

Thanks... that's some darm useful info there WhyNot.


I guess, re-reading my OP, I can see the confusion.... lol OOOPS


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## Sandi (Oct 4, 2011)

this is great info WhyNot, thanks! can you let chickens/goats/sheep/pigs eat it straight off the comfrey "pasture" or do you always cut it first? i love it and use it as green mulch for my tomatoes and to keep soil spray down when i water them. i'd like to expand. i was careful where i put it because my mama gave it to me and showed me how hers had spread from the roots.


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

Sandi said:


> this is great info WhyNot, thanks! can you let chickens/goats/sheep/pigs eat it straight off the comfrey "pasture" or do you always cut it first?


I know no one that feeds it green. Many animals won't touch it until it is wilted or dried. There ARE things in it that, if an animal or person gets too much, they will have problems...so I would not advise to feed it green or to feed more than 25% as a silage mix.

There may be people with different advice, I'm just going on what I've done and what I've watched other people do.

If you are feeding it to any equine or bovine...and possibly goats though I'm not sure...and they start pressing up against things...like pressing their heads against fences or pressing their sides up against things...you are using too much or that animal has an issue with it.

I'd also be careful with rabbits...from what I know, many rabbits have issues when changing feed suddenly.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Kazahleenah said:


> I'll have to get my hands on about 4 of that sterile Blocking 14 then to start me out.
> Livestock can eat it and it doesn't harm them? That, I didn't know.
> 
> (I didn't plan to use the seeds as fertilizer, I thought to grow them from seed.... yeeks!)


Like, WhyNot, I am a big fan of COMFREY! Yes, currently have 50 plants, but will be exceeding 80 by Summer. What is your price for Comfrey Leaves?

I have seen recommendations for Comfrey Leaves to be fed to livestock, not exceeding 20% of their diet, and that is the guideline I follow with no problems at all. I have read of no documented cases of this being harmful to livestock, unless too much is fed. Comfrey was originally intended as feed for both livestock and people, however, it isn't recommended to be ingested by humans. There were never trials done involving people having one cup of Comfrey Tea, for example, and I have yet to read any one ever had issues when doing that regularly. That said, the Tea was made using the LEAVES only. 

There is a lot of misinformation out there about Comfrey...

Yes, Comfrey Leaves contain PA's (Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids). The first Leaves that emerge in the Spring, have higher levels of PA's, so I just use those for compost & fertilizer. As Comfrey grows, the Leaves produced after this contain lower PA's which decrease throughout the growing season. According to the research data I read, the Roots contain the highest levels in the Fall, when the leaves contain the lowest levels. Nothing made from the Roots should EVER be ingested. The Salves/Oils made, using the leaves, have never been proven to be harmful, however, there has been some data to suggest skin products made with the Roots can be harmful (extended external use is thereby not recommended). 

I fed Comfrey to our chickens, rabbits, and pigs. All of them ate it fresh. The pigs didn't know what to think of it at first. I had tossed some out for them, and they weren't interested. A few days later, the Comfrey was devoured, so I began regularly tossing Comfrey Leaves/Stalks/Flowers in to them. Then, the pigs devoured the Comfrey Leaves fresh! The chickens weren't interested in the Comfrey, at first, but did the same thing. They began eating it fresh, as well. The rabbits always ate Comfrey fresh. As far as the pigs went, we had extremely healthy happy pigs and we are now enjoying the best Pork I have ever had! I also fed them fresh Garlic/Rosemary to deworm them with great results. 

Yes, it is important to start out slow, so smaller amounts at first. That is true of any dietary change for livestock.

Allontoin is the healing compound found in Comfrey (heating it to the point of boiling, will destroy the Allontoin). There are higher levels of Allontoin in the Roots, than the Leaves. Compresses are made, using the Leaves, to treat sprains, strains, bruises, broken bones...(NOT compound fractures, no open wounds...). Important to note, Comfrey treatments should only be used on cleaned skin, as it is not a disinfectant, also should never be used on any type of wound, except very shallow scratches (the healing of the outer layers of the skin exceeds that of the internal wound and can increase risk for infection).


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

lorichristie said:


> What is your price for Comfrey Leaves?


Whatever my market will bear. Currently, I sell it by the dried ounce to certain people for $3.25 an ounce, smaller quantities of fresh leaves at 7.00 a pound. The truckloads (her izuzu pickup bed full) I trade out for some cash, soap and raw goats milk.

I am a trader. I trade a lot out for things I need to make my own "beauty" lol products...that I do not sell but enjoy for myself. So when I need beeswax or coconut or jojoba oil, I trade with the appropriate people. They make their own same as I do but don't grow comfrey or many of the herbs and flowers I do so it's a win/win.

ETA: I think that some animals balk at fresh comfrey just because of the hairs...depends on when you harvest as to how pliable the hairs are...and probably the variety as well. I think most that use it here use it as they do because they feed other things fresh and this is something that stores well for hay silage...not losing a lot of the nutrients in storage...well it loses some but not as much as some things...like lamb's quarters.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

WhyNot said:


> Whatever my market will bear. Currently, I sell it by the dried ounce to certain people for $3.25 an ounce, smaller quantities of fresh leaves at 7.00 a pound. The truckloads (her izuzu pickup bed full) I trade out for some cash, soap and raw goats milk.
> 
> *Like you, I enjoy bartering, too!*
> 
> ...


I had heard pigs, chickens, and rabbits would NOT eat fresh Comfrey, yet mine all did. It really surprised me when the pigs first smelled, then tasted, and rejected the Comfrey, only to find it devoured a few days later. Then, when I tossed out more, they flat inhaled it fresh (?). The chickens would eat it both ways, but the rabbits ate it fresh very readily. Is the Comfrey being hung, dried, and then stored for feeding later? I have dried Comfrey for feed, but especially, for my own use. I regularly drink Comfrey Tea I have zero liver problems, too. I prefer Comfrey Infusion Tea made from fresh Comfrey Leaves. I drink it cold.

Now, I'll see if there is a market here for Comfrey Leaves, as I am expecting a bumber crop with all I already have growing. We discontinued raising rabbits, are repleneshing our chickens shortly, and not raising pigs for another yet... We do have 26 fruit trees (added more) to mulch, and 9,000 sq feet combined garden areas, too.


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## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

lorichristie said:


> Now, I'll see if there is a market here for Comfrey Leaves, as I am expecting a bumber crop with all I already have growing.


There you go. I established my own market. I found people who were making their own soap and different products...some were selling - some were just for home use. Made up a little flyer with some links to good internet sources for comfrey use in those products.

Didn't take long LOL Especially since that flyer contained links to several internet sources that are selling it for 26 to 37 dollars a dried pound.


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

Is it difficult to grow comfrey from seed?


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

WhyNot said:


> There you go. I established my own market. I found people who were making their own soap and different products...some were selling - some were just for home use. Made up a little flyer with some links to good internet sources for comfrey use in those products.
> 
> Didn't take long LOL Especially since that flyer contained links to several internet sources that are selling it for 26 to 37 dollars a dried pound.


Thanks, will work on that, here. I expect to have a lot of extra Comfrey!


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

happydog said:


> Is it difficult to grow comfrey from seed?


No, but that type is NOT recommended, as it is highly invasive, and doesn't produce nearly the amount of leaves as Comfrey Bocking14. That is propagated via Root.


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## Rick (May 10, 2002)

We have Russian Comfrey that is Sterile. Does anyone know how I can tell if it is Bocking 14?


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