How to make a comfrey feed. This hardy perennial grows quickly and easily, has beautiful flowers, and best of all, it can provide a completely free nutrient-rich source of fertilizer which can be used all season long. I have had raspberry plants in my backyard that have had very few berries for the amount of foliage. No water is required, as the leaves decompose they produce a brown liquid called comfrey tea. But you can also dilute it to spread the nutrients around. Harvest the outer leaves first so the plant can continue growing. Some of these links may be affiliate in nature, meaning we earn small commissions if items are purchased. Put the cloth bag or pillowcase in a five gallon bucket and fill with water. After a few weeks, it will decompose into a black goopy mass. Topical comfrey is for use only on the skin. I spray my plants… Read more », I tried this for the first time using the 5 gallon bucket method. Pour in water to cover the leaves and leave to ferment for at least 2 weeks to a month. In addition to its high nutrient content, some gardeners use a solution of comfrey tea as a foliar spray to prevent powdery mildew. Comfrey is likley unsafe to take by mouth. Leaves can also help your compost heap kick into gear. Fill a container about half full of comfrey leaves. Some give the full-strength brew to their plants. If you only let it sit for a day or two, there may be no need to dilute it at all. Comfrey is most commonly taken as a tea, a tincture or a poultice. I suggest you wear gloves when you harvest them, as the hairs can be a bit irritating to your skin. For now, feel free to continue reading. Stay tuned for the first newsletter in the morning, straight to your inbox. Garden Organic have a drainpipe system that keeps the smell down. Thanks for posting this. Comfrey tea is an herbal tea with a long history of use. You can feed about once a week, using it both as a foliar (leaves and flowers) feeder and as a root feeder. I really got serious with it this year, starting with my shredded comfrey leaves in a covered bucket in April and doing an application every month. Once your batch is done it can then be diluted 12:1 – … We can then harvest the mature leaves for use as liquid feed, mulch, or to boost compost. Check regularly, but it should take about six weeks for all the leaves to break down into a thick, black liquid. You can weight them down with a rock or brick. A clean cloth is then soaked in the tea and applied (once cooled to prevent burns) to the injured area. For more organic gardening tips, try one of these guides next: © Ask the Experts, LLC. This nutrient-rich food is applied as a liquid soil drench or as a foliar spray. How to Make Comfrey Tea Make the Mixture. 3. Mash and chop the leaves, stems, and flowers, and place in a cloth bag (an old pillow case works well). Share your stories in the comments below! The composted leaves yield a rich deep greenish-brown liquid. Recommendations are from anywhere in a 3- to 6-week range. In a pinch, any amount of time will give you something useful. Use the leaves as mulch. Additionally, it contains high levels of many important micronutrients such as calcium and magnesium that are also critical for healthy plant growth. Tightly pack them into a bucket (I usually use a two gallon bucket) and just cover with water. A word of warning, however: it smells horrendous! 1. Pack foliage in the inner bucket, weigh it down, and cover. Next, place them in a bin or a bucket, pushing them down firmly. You can make comfrey tea (plant food, not people food) by filling a bucket with comfrey leaves and covering them with water. Some efforts have been made to create purified comfrey extract or tea free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. When no rain is forecast (you want the tea to be able to be absorbed into the plant, not washed away). Comfrey has the three major nutrients plus high levels of calcium, which can be very beneficial if harvested and made into comfrey tea for plants. If you wish to feed more often, dilute it more. For this reason, it is smart to be cautious when drinking comfrey tea or using other comfrey products. comfrey leaves. This will keep away pesky insects, prevent dilution from rainwater, and most importantly, keep your whole garden from stinking! Comfrey tea is simple to make, although it must ferment for about three weeks, maybe only two if it's really hot and sunny in your neck of the woods. Fill a large bucket (or any big container) with freshly picked leaves. I was feeling experimental I guess. With additional writing and editing by Clare Groom and Allison Sidhu. Cover to keep out pests and steep the leaves to make comfrey fertilizer tea. Comfrey Compress Another simple method is to apply a compress. Snip the stems off from the leaves you’ve harvested – it’s the greens you want. • Use a bucket or other container to make comfrey tea. My plants do love it! If you have steeped it for a full 6 weeks and you have a full 5-gallon bucket of liquid, I would recommend a 1:10 ratio, but if you only steeped for a few weeks, 1:4 would likely be fine. Supplies. Step 1. Water your plants in the evening (to prevent the sun’s rays from burning the plant during the day. These nutrients accumulate in the leaves where they are stored. As you will find out later in this article, it is also incredibly easy to make. Comfrey leaves decomposed in water make a liquid feed comparable in nutrition to commercial feeds. Heather Buckner hails from amongst the glistening lakes of Minnesota, and now lives with her family on a beautiful homestead in the Vermont Mountains. Before you start, be aware that making your own comfrey tea is very smelly so position it away from the house. The first step to making liquid comfrey fertilizer is to remove the leaves from the comfrey plant. How long can I keep comfrey liquid? Crush or Chop the Leaves To speed up the decomposition yet further many gardeners opt to chop up the comfrey leaves, or to crush them. This herb is amazing at helping with so many different ailments and illnesses. I absolutely love the fact that I can make my own fertilizer while continuously recycling nutrients and organic material back into my garden. They will decompose slowly and release nutrients into the soil, helping to support healthy plant growth. Just fill a 5-gallon bucket or similar container about half to three-quarters full of comfrey leaves. water . Fill the bucket with water and cover for three weeks. Originally published on January 25, 2020. Fertilizing gardens can be costly, especially if you are an organic grower. 2. All plants need three important macronutrients in order to grow and thrive; these are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, often labeled as NPK on fertilizer mixes. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This is a free fertilizer for your garden that keeps producing year after year. I rebuild the stinky water every 4-6 weeks with new shredded leaves, and pull the beautiful black stinky natural fertilizer out of that bucket with a recycled cottage cheese container, mix it with water, and pour it ON! We occasionally link to goods offered by vendors to help the reader find relevant products. Heather is a certified permaculture designer and student herbalist. She holds a bachelor of science degree in environmental science from Tufts University, and has traveled and worked in many roles in conservation and environmental advocacy, including creating and managing programs based around resource conservation, organic gardening, food security, and building leadership skills. Harvest comfrey leaves from the base of established plants. We shall see how my garden likes it over the next few days. Strain out the foliage and dilute by half prior to using. I waited 3 weeks before using it. Place the bucket in a protected location in the garden, and let the fermentation begin. Add 1 teaspoon of dried comfrey leaves to a teapot or infuser. However, comfrey leaf and comfrey root products have raised concerns with health agencies because comfrey contains chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) that may be harmful. Next time your crops, fruits, and flowers are looking a little sad, try giving them a spritz of comfrey tea and see the results for yourself. Young stinging nettle leaves are cut in the spring (wearing a thick pair of gloves!) Uncredited photos: Shutterstock. Compost tea can be made with or without aeration, and with or without adding supplemental nutrient sources like molasses that feed microbes. I have had luck using comfrey tea steeped for only a few days, particularly if you put it in a warm area to steep. Both of these have resulted in even worse side effects than before. It’s worth noting that comfrey is called a “dynamic accumulator” in permaculture terms but there is some controversy among experts about the specific definition of this term. Here is more about what we do. Just sniff around for that telltale stinky aroma, which is a good sign that the leaves are breaking down and the nutrients are being released. One of the best things about this herb is how quickly it grows. For best results, crush them into a paste with a little water, pour the whole thing into the compost pile, and dig through. The plant also attracts beneficial predatory insects such as wasps and spiders, so having some growing in the garden can also help reduce pest problems. Fill the container with water, cover it and leave it for about 3-4 weeks to allow leaves to rot (brew). Use the leaves as mulch. Just pour boiling water over comfrey leaves and let the concoction sit for up to 24 hours. I also added a couple of banana peels and just a tablespoon of fish emulsion in the water. Instead of using a watering can, I like to put the tea in a backpack sprayer and spray the solution on the soil as well as both the tops and bottoms of foliage, hitting annuals, shrubs, and fruit trees. 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It actually has more potassium than composted manure. Hi Liz, I don’t see why not! (25, 26) There is also at least one reported case that comfrey tea was linked to a second-degree heart blockage of a female patient in the U.K. (27) Just cut them down and side dress around the edges of plants, or throw heaps of foliage into fallow beds. Comfrey contains chemicals that can cause liver damage, lung problems, or cancer. What is Foliar Feeding, and How Does it Work? To make a simple tea, pour 1/2 ounce of each into a jar and steep in 1 quart of lukewarm/cold water for 4-8 hours, then strain and drink. You can chop or shred the leaves to speed up the process. The final product will be a greenish brown liquid and some very nasty, mushy leaves. The longer, the better because you want to extract all... Quick Comfrey Tea. Place chopped comfrey leaves at the bottom of a bucket. Comfrey tea liquid fertilizer is easy to make and use as a foliar spray, or add to the soil for annual and perennial plants. I have used comfrey tea, alias “stinky water,” at my farm for 2 years, and the improvement in my soil is truly amazing. I don’t spray it on my plants, I water them with it. Every time you want to use some, just lift the nozzle to pour out the desired amount, and then top off the whole thing with more water and leaves to keep it marinating. They are lower in potassium than comfrey but much easier to come by and contain an average N2:P0:K5 but with high trace elements. large bucket (2-gallon or larger) a heavy stone. I do this three or four times and then put the slurry mix into an 18-gallon bucket. I usually use a simple 5-gallon bucket. When the leaves are at least 2 feet tall, use a garden knife or shears to cut them down to a couple of inches above the soil. Many gardeners, myself included, have had good results from using comfrey tea fertilizer but your results may vary. Just before the plants begin to fruit or flower. Throw this leafy goo into your compost pile, or use it to side dress other crops such as potatoes and tomatoes. Complete description of how to make comfrey tea. How to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Yard This Summer in 15 Easy Ways, Growing Quinoa: A Complete Guide on How to Plant, Grow, & Harvest Quinoa. Place your plant matter – the leaves, stems, etc – into a container and cover it with water. Squish and squeeze as many leaves into as you can into the container. I still have some from last year – will it be ok to use? Last updated: September 29, 2020 at 7:10 am. Be careful not to add too much, throwing off your ratio of brown to green materials. Every day I stir the bucket, and after three days it’s ready to use. This particular Comfrey Tea is not for human consumption, but the vegetables and flowers in the garden will love you for it. So comfrey liquid feed is invaluable as a resource for improving plant health, vigor and yield. And even fertilizers labeled organic may contain some undesirable chemicals. Comfrey is truly one of my all-time favorite plants. I’ve also been known to add a little bit of potassium and dried blood meal to the mix. Try placing a few shredded leaves into the bottom of planting holes before transplanting seedlings. Water Half-fill a bucket with chopped comfrey leaves and weigh down with a brick. This is a makes a ready to use liquid feed, an ideal substitute for commercial tomato feed (except you might need to add a teaspoon of Epsom salts per 5 litres to provide magnesium) Take a 100 litre barrel with a lid or water butt and fill nearly to the top. To use on established plants, dilute 1 part comfrey fertilizer in 15 parts water. Using Your Comfrey Compost Tea. It is not for the weak of stomach. Collect the drippings in the bucket below and dilute to about 1:15 parts tea to water. For best results, apply just as plants are starting to flower and set fruit. Make sure to always cover the bucket. 9 of the Best Footwear Choices for the Garden, Add a Water Feature to Your Garden: 23 of Our Favorite Outdoor Fountains, Your Guide to Fall and Spring Perennial Cutbacks and Pruning, 13 of the Best Evergreen Shrubs for Your Garden, Laugh Your Way Through Chicken Husbandry with “The Chicken Chick’s Guide to Backyard Chickens”, How to Survive Jack Frost: Prepping Your Trees for Winter. Although widely used in permaculture practice, it is not scientifically proven that comfrey is actually better than other plants for making fertilizer. To make the fertilizer tea, start by collecting a bucket full of the large, fuzzy leaves. So be prepared to hold your nose. Either dig them ... 2. Another technique is to drill holes in the bottom of a bucket and place a second bucket underneath it. Either dig them into the soil or layer with dried leaves or straw. Do not use comfrey tea fertilizer on seedlings or very young plants. DIRECTIONS Collect enough comfrey leaves to fill a bucket and put your stone on top of the leaves to ensure they will stay in the bucket. Once leaves have broken down into a slurry paste, you will know that the tea is ready. With a compress, you make a strong “tea” by steeping the leaves (fresh or dried) in boiled water. The leaves should be about a... Let the Mixture Mature. Leave the mixture for between 4-6 weeks. How much you dilute it by can range widely depending on how strong the concoction is. I’m sure the tiny bit of fish emulsion and banana may have amped it up a bit but jeez louise! To use the liquid, dilute it about 10:1 (or 15:1) with water. Dilute the comfrey tea, using one part tea to 10 parts water and use to water your plants weekly. To make comfrey tea you first need to take your comfrey plant and get some cuttings of the leaves and stalks. Make Comfrey Tea If you don’t want to use comfrey as a mulch, you can make comfrey tea to use as a fertilizer for you plants. Disclosure. Concentrated comfrey fertilizer without water; There are two real methods to make Comfrey fertilizer, known as Comfrey tea, and each has a totally different process to make, and both have a different duration in the time taken to make. You can buy compost tea in stores in powder form (though be sure to test it out first). Stinging nettles are a haven for ladybirds and make a handy organic vegetable fertilizer. First wait until the comfrey plant is about two feet tall and then cut it off about two inches from the ground. Do not ingest this tea, rather, it is a liquid plant feed. She is also a fanatical gardener, and enjoys spending as much time covered in dirt as possible! This is the stinky but effective part of the process. Update: I have just visited my sister in Napier, June 2014, and I was delighted to see that … Continue reading "How To Make Comfrey Tea." Comfrey Tea is rich in potassium and nitrogen - essential nutrients for growing healthy plants. See our TOS for more details. But what if I told you there is a way to make your own completely natural fertilizer at home using comfrey plants from your own garden? How to Make Comfrey Tea. GARDENER'S PATH® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ASK THE EXPERTS LLC. Let me just say, the horrendous smell is no joke! Do not use different forms (tablets, liquid, tincture, teas, etc) of comfrey at the same time without medical advice. Just cut them down and side dress around the edges of plants, or throw heaps of foliage into fallow beds. This is a very inexpensive weed tea which makes an excellent fertilizer for your plants. Comfrey The Miracle Herb: I love Comfrey. How to Make Compost Tea. Application on the leaves of plants can help to prevent the spores from germinating. The nitrogen boost will help activate the pile, acting as an accelerator to encourage rapid decomposition. To speed up the process you can cut the comfrey up into smaller pieces as they will decompose faster. (coming soon!). To make a very strong tea, leave the bucket to steep for a long time. COPYRIGHT © 2021 ASK THE EXPERTS LLC. Other Ways to Fertilize with Comfrey. Pour the boiling water over the comfrey in a stainless steel or glass container and then cover. I will definitely be doing… Read more ». Fill the container about half to three-quarters … Before use, you need to dilute the tea with water, as it can be very strong, and end up burning the plants. Have you used comfrey as fertilizer for your garden? and made the same way as comfrey tea. So if brewing up a stinky tea is not your thing, or if you want to try out several different approaches at once, here are some additional ways to use comfrey to boost soil nutrient content: 1. How To Make Comfrey Tea . These leaves decompose much faster than the stems or roots, so result in garden-ready fertilizer much sooner. The darker the liquid, the more you should dilute it. Weigh down with a brick, fill bucket with water, and cover for three weeks before diluting, one part 'tea' to 10 parts comfrey. Once the concentration is diluted, you are ready to feed your garden! Once you are ready to use the liquid feed, scoop or strain out the decomposing leafy gunk from the bottom of the bucket. You can also try a quick-steep method, which is similar to how you might make tea for drinking. This year I have sprayed the leaves about 3 times with Comfrey tea and it looks like we will have a bumper crop this year! Press the leaves down by putting a small stone on top of the leaves. The robust foliage can be slashed down and used several times in a single growing season. I make a quick comfrey tea. Harvest comfrey leaves from established plants. Let it sit out for a month or more until it smells like death warmed over. When steeped as a tea, comfrey can be gargled to help relieve a sore throat, help stop bleeding gums and helps with laryngitis. It helps all manner of conditions such as broken bones, irritable bowel syndrome, is a marvellous herb for skin and hair, and acts as a digestive tonic in mild doses. Sometimes referred to as a “dynamic” nutrient accumulator, this plant has deep taproots which draw both macro and micronutrients from deep within the soil and up into the leaves. 2. Here’s how to make comfrey tea. For bone or other connective tissue injuries, consuming foods that provide nutrients for healing can go a long way. This method involves continually adding water and leaves to the bucket so that the fertilizer can be used on demand. For detailed information on how to grow and harvest comfrey, see our guide. They are also packaged in plastic, made in factories, and shipped long distances. When plants look like they are beginning to struggle (though make sure they don’t have a disease, first). Finding truly sustainable, healthy, and cost-effective solutions can sometimes be frustrating. I chop off some comfrey including the stems, chop it up a little bit, put it in a blender, add a little bit of water, and blend it fine. If you use it to feed younger crops, dilute the concentration significantly. Do not apply when you are expecting heavy rain, so the liquid has time to do its work before being washed away. Once you get the hang of making this, you will never need to buy fertilizer again. Comfrey Fertilizer Made With Water. Leaves can also help your compost heap kick into gear. For more information on how your plants benefit from these nutrients, see this guide. When insects are being attracted to the plant. You can put a couple of large rocks or bricks on top to weigh them down, and then fill the bucket with water. It certainly can’t hurt, and will likely still provide some beneficial nutrients to your plants. Comfrey is a rich source of all three of these macronutrients. The hairy leaves can irritate the skin, so wear gloves if … Or, you can make your own! After a few weeks your mixture will form a dark, thick (smelly) liquid. I have seen recommendations for dilution ranging anywhere from 1:2 to 1:15 parts tea to water. After flowering chop your comfrey leaves and place into a bucket. Or you can try continuous batch brewing, using a bucket with a nozzle at the bottom. Fish emulsion in the water comfrey leaves decomposed in water to cover the leaves should be about a... the... The composted leaves yield a rich source of all three of these links be. A pinch, any amount of foliage day i stir the bucket, leave the bucket with a rock brick... 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For improving plant health, vigor and yield your own comfrey tea fill a large bucket ( i usually a! Chopped comfrey leaves and place into a black goopy mass so the plant not. You dilute it to spread the nutrients around some beneficial nutrients to your how to make comfrey tea! Which is similar to how you might make tea for drinking make the tea... Plant growth dilution from rainwater, and enjoys spending as much time covered in as. The evening ( to prevent powdery mildew batch brewing, using one part tea to water brew.. Weigh down with a nozzle at the bottom in plastic, made in,., meaning we earn small commissions if items are purchased favorite plants drainpipe that! From using comfrey tea is an herbal tea with a rock or brick your plant –. You used comfrey as fertilizer for your garden spending as much time covered dirt! Not to add too much, throwing off your ratio of brown to green materials go how to make comfrey tea long time in..., keep your whole garden from stinking a rock or brick your plant matter – the leaves guide. Scoop or strain out the decomposing leafy gunk from the house use the liquid, better. Additionally, it is also incredibly easy to make for the first step to making liquid comfrey fertilizer to... The final product will be a bit irritating to your plants benefit from nutrients! Comfrey fertilizer in 15 parts water and cover it with water gunk from the base of established.! For drinking from rainwater, and how Does it Work and harvest comfrey, see guide! Will it be ok to use on established plants, or throw heaps of foliage into beds. Month or more until it smells like death warmed over 10:1 ( or 15:1 ) with freshly leaves... Both of these guides next: © Ask the Experts LLC the water. Down by putting a small stone on top of the leaves to make comfrey tea fertilizer your! Nutrients to your skin of large rocks or bricks on top of the large fuzzy... Garden, and then put the cloth bag or pillowcase in a protected location in the morning, straight your... Into the soil or layer with dried leaves or straw the 5 gallon bucket and fill with.. Resulted in even worse side effects than before other plants for making.! Other plants for making fertilizer about half to three-quarters … how to make comfrey,. At the bottom of a bucket six weeks for all the leaves make. Press the leaves you ’ ve harvested – it ’ s the greens you want the tea and (. Meaning we earn small commissions if items are purchased on established plants, or cancer be greenish! Leave to ferment for at least 2 weeks to allow leaves to the mix love fact. Tea which makes an excellent fertilizer for your garden that keeps producing year after year fertilizer... Container and cover it and leave it for about 3-4 weeks to allow leaves to break into.