Comfrey Bocking 14, (1) Crown

Description: You are buying 1 Crown. The crown will be about two years old. This crown grows much faster than a root cutting. The pictures in this listing are examples of the crown and may look different than what you will receive.I will cut the leaves off since the leaves wilt so easily during shipping. They will grow back quickly. Crown and Root cuttings are best planted in beds, rows, or pots, and transplanted to permanent locations when a year or more old. Roots are laid flat and covered with 1½“ to 4” of soil when planted. Established root cuttings can take up to 1 year to grow to the size of a one-year plant. The Bocking 4 cultivar of Russian Comfrey is a variety that can only be propagated from root, not from seed. It is an attractive ornamental crop when regularly pruned and folks who see it for the first time always inquire about it. It is grown it for use as an activator and nitrogen source in compost bins, foliar fertilizer, and as an ever-ready mulch whenever needed. The leaves are high in potassium (5.8%), nitrogen (3.5%) and some phosphorus (0.5%), It can be harvested at least 4 times per season.As a mulch, the leaves quickly degrade. In general, big stems should be composted as they contain quite a bit of water. Although each plant can produce apparent bulk, it takes a lot of comfrey to provide for a compost bin since the leaves degrade so quickly. When mixed with dried leaves from hardwood trees, comfrey leaves helps to accelerate the production of leaf mulch when the mixture is kept moist, not wet, in a plastic contractors bag or other closed container.If properly planted, comfrey is as no-maintenance as one can get in gardening. It has no persistent pests in my garden, perhaps because the leaves have little spines that can be irritating to insect and humans alike. It is one of the first to appear in spring and will grow quickly if moisture is sufficient, providing an early nectar source for bees. Bumblebees are particularly fond of it.There are few guidelines to observe before and after planting:1. Select a permanent location before planting. Comfrey has a deep taproot and relocating is a chore. Any piece of root that remains will produce a new plant. I was able to relocate my first plants using a garden fork, but did so before the season ended when the roots were still within the first 12 inches of soil. The good news is that the taproot mines deep for nutrients making the plant self-fertile and enriches the leaves.2. When planting, space the roots at least 2 feet apart, giving the root ball of each plenty of room to expand. Take 2- to 6-inch lengths of the root and plant them horizontally, 2 to 6 inches deep. Plant shallowly in clay soil and deeper in sandy soils. Comfrey can also be propagated from crown cuttings, which will grow slightly faster. 3. When harvesting leaves for a foliar feed, cut off as much of the large stems as possible, have your water already boiled before harvesting, pour the boiling water over the leaves, cover your container, and let steep until cool. You should have a moderately bright green liquid. Mix one cup of the liquid to a gallon of water and spray under the leaves. For best results, add a teaspoon of soluble kelp or fish hydrolysate and an equal amount of Epsom salt if desired.4. If not harvested, the plants will fall over and look untidy, but other than appearance, the plant is fine. However, this environment makes a wonderful home for grasshoppers and crickets among others. Best practice: harvest often after the initial flowering in spring.6. Comfrey can be mulched with straw or wood chips in order to promote bed moisture and suppress weed growth between cuttings. Comfrey likes a very moist soil, but Bocking 4 will tolerate drought, falling over during high heat, quickly recovering over cool nights. However, if this is a persistent pattern, the leaves will lose their nutrient vitality. You can tell this is so by their rather lipid appearance and part of the worst affected leaves will have partial decay. If you want a nutrient rich crop, water as you would any drought tolerant plant. That is, when it is dying of thirst, water it. If you have any problems, please contact me before leaving negative feedback so I can resolve any issues.Thank you,Mike

Price: 9.95 USD

Location: Trion, Georgia

End Time: 2023-08-14T20:20:41.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5.5 USD