Friday 29 April 2011

Comfrey.

Comfrey (rich in potash) or nettles (rich in nitrogen).
I use comfrey in three ways.
The first is simply to add it to the compost heap, where its nutrients will both enrich the whole heap and encourage decomposition. Comfrey has a high carbon to nitrogen ratio - ideal for most plants.
The second way is to spread the leaves as a mulch beneath, say, your tomatoes. This acts like any other mulch - slowing down evaporation of moisture and suppressing weeds - but because the leaves rot quickly, it also enriches the soil where the surface roots are.
Comfrey as a mulch - avoid using flowering stems as these can root.



As a bonus, as comfrey leaves wilt they become irresistible to slugs and snails. I strew them around young plants such as lettuce to distract slimy intruders.

I also make a liquid feed. To do this, fill a container with as many comfrey leaves as it will contain, and top it up to overflowing with water. The leaves soon turn into a repulsive-smelling sludge. But this vile stench indicates that the proteins - and comfrey has more protein in its leaves than any other plant - are breaking down.
After two weeks the mixture will be like greeny-brown soup and ready for use. Strain it through a fairly fine mesh such as a garden sieve, then put the sludge onto the compost heap and use the liquid as the base for home-made fertiliser. Keep it well diluted - 1:10 is about right. You can use it either as a leaf feed, or feed it directly to the roots.
The results are not spectacular - it simply does enough. But that, as experience has shown me, is all you need.


Read more: Comfrey for compost!
Or...
Don't add water. Many recipes for making comfrey liquid feeds advise adding water, but when comfrey leaves rot down in water, they make a horrible smell. If you don't add water, the leaves will still rot down -- but they won't make a big stink about it!
Put the lid on. Put the lid on the bin to keep the rain and bugs out.
Wait 6 weeks. Comfrey leaves will take a few weeks to rot down -- you can keep checking on the progress, but expect it to be about 6 weeks before they're finished decomposing.
Drain off the liquid. Drain off the liquid feed -- it will look a little like a dark brown syrup and have very little odor.
Put the comfrey leaves in the compost. The remains of the rotted comfrey leaves can be added to the compost.
Start again! If your comfrey plant has grown a new crop of leaves, then you can start the process over.
Use your feed. Your comfrey liquid needs to be watered down 15:1 before use. It is high in potassium, and makes an excellent feed for flowers, tomatoes and peppers.

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