Comfrey tea is rich in nitrogen and potassium; this can be a nutritious side-dressing for fruiting vegetables. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and berries use nitrogen to toughen leaf enlargement and potassium to promote it crops and fruit. The nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) ratio of dried comfrey leaves is 1.8-0.5-5.3; comfrey moreover contains calcium.
Comfrey is a perennial herb that is merely grown in average soil; it’ll thrive in sun or partial color. Russian comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum) is the best choice on the other hand there are other comfrey sorts that may art work. Plant comfrey in spring or autumn and let the plant turn out to be established forward of harvesting leaves for tea making the following 365 days. Space comfrey vegetation a minimum of 30 inches apart; mature vegetation will increase to about 2 ft tall from a basal leaf cluster. Leaves are very best harvested merely as flower stalks rise. Comfrey can be invasive; it is best to increase comfrey where it would keep undisturbed for as long as two decades (a comfrey corner of the garden).
Comfrey Tea Recipe
• Harvest comfrey leaves from established vegetation; placed on gloves, long sleeves, long pants and sneakers: comfrey leaves can irritate the skin. From an established plant you can get 3 or 4 cut-and-come-again harvests each and every 365 days.
• Use a bucket or other container to make comfrey tea. Fill the container about phase to three-quarters stuffed with comfrey leaves. Place a picket block or brick on absolute best of the leaves to press them down. Fill the container with water and place a lid on absolute best.
• Comfrey leaves are speedy to rot. The water will become a dark, foul-smelling manure tea in about 20 days and will brew darker and darker if left for as long as 6 weeks. The lid will keep flies out.
• Draw the tea from the container and dilute it thru a minimum of 50 %; some gardeners dilute comfrey tea thru 10 circumstances forward of side-dressing vegetation. When you occur to position a tap at the bottom of the container, you can add leaves and water to the best to stick new tea brewing for months.
• Practice comfrey tea as a side-dressing or foliar spray; comfrey tea is potent so let just a bit go a ways. Use comfrey tea as a side dressing every 10 to 14 days from flower set throughout the development of finish consequence. As a foliar spray, surrender applying comfrey tea a minimum of a month forward of harvest. Comfrey tea diluted is an excellent fertilizer for container vegetables. (Comfrey tea as a foliar spray has been found out to slow the growth of powdery mould spores on plant leaves.)
Comfrey Manure Mulch
Wilted comfrey leaves can be used as sheet-mulch manure. Place two or 3 layers around the base of vegetation or bury them inside the soil 2 inches deep to the side of crops in conjunction with tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, currants, gooseberries, and fruit bushes. The high nitrogen and potassium content material subject material of comfrey leaves it will be just about right away available to crops. (Most sensible nitrogen fertilizers aren’t a very good are compatible for leafy crops comparable to lettuce and spinach; the nitrogen boost may make them go to seed upfront. As neatly, high potassium fertilizers aren’t a very good are compatible for rooting crops comparable to carrots.)
Comfrey Liquid Fertilizer
To make a comfrey fertilizer pay attention, pack comfrey leaves tightly proper right into a container, weigh them down, cover, and make allowance them to rot. In about 3 weeks, you can have a liquid fertilizer pay attention that can be mixed with 15 parts water to a minimum of one segment comfrey goo and used as a fertilizer side dressing.
Comfrey Compost Activator
Comfrey leaves can be utilized as a compost activator in compost piles rich in brown carbon subject material. Place a layer or two of comfrey leaves at the most efficient of the compost pile and sprinkle garden soil on absolute best. The quick rotting comfrey leaves rich in nitrogen will art work with bacteria and soil organisms to speed the composting of dried leaves and other high carbon materials.
