Propagating and Using Comfrey in the Garden

Comfrey is a medicinal herb used by native Americans for centuries as a poultice for broken bones and bruises. I've made salve using it mixed with garden Plantain for sore muscles and even heard of a naturopath from Australia using it on her own shoulder for a torn rotator cuff. Side note my ducks can't seem to leave it alone so must be nutritious

The bees in my garden love the little purple flowers on my comfrey plants.

LOL roto tilled the garden and turned in a few Comfry plants and now have a garden full. Swearing every piece of root sent up a plant.

I live in zone 7. I have my original comfrey plant that is probably 15 years old. When I give someone some comfrey I just use a shove and get some root and part of the leaves. I tell them to put it in the ground. It generally doesn’t do well the first year. It looks like it is going to die. Water it Just wait. Next summer you will have a great big plant. Mine gets 3 feet tall. I literally get 3-4 cuttings a year. I cut it leaving about 2 inches above the ground. And in about a week I have new shoots of leaves coming up and away it goes. I think I will try pulling up one of mine and trying this. We are moving to a new place and would like to transplant them. Here in Tennessee if you rototiller over it...... everywhere there is a root it gives a new plant. I use it for so many things. I raised 4 kids and it as kept me from the emergency room with my kids several times. Great ankle soak if you sprain your ankle or have any swelling. I dry it and put it in jars for the winter. I also lay the leaves around other plants as it breaks down and gives so many nutrients to the plant.

Thanks for the follow up! Makes a great difference to be able to see the results!

Comfrey has medicinal qualities, too. During the Civil War, soldiers looked for comfrey plants to apply to wounds. The wounds cannot be open, but comfrey helps with bruises and scars.

Thank you for this video. I've been wanting to grow comfrey (& telling anyone who will listen to grow it) for so long now. I'm not what anyone would ever consider a gardener. My family would attest to that. My youngest daughter told me "Mom, don't even look at the garden when you mow the lawn, because something will die." My Dad says I learned how to forage and eat weeds because if anyone gives me a living plant, it's as good as dead. I want to argue with them about this but I'm the only one I've ever heard of who killed a chia pet herb garden All that being said... At least I learned something new to try (& hopefully not kill by over watering or accidentally dehydrating, all out of love and really not knowing). I appreciate the extra knowledge you try to impart (even to those of us who need extra help). ❤️

I cut my comfrey and soaked them then forgot about the when I went on vacation. I found them then watered my newly sprouting cucumbers with them. They are growing crazily😊

Billy from Perma Pastures Farm sells just portions of the roots. They came up the following year and I have 2 of the eight I bought. They are doing well and learning how to make salve and such

I love the return to show the success ..I have Four huge comfrey plants .from root chunks my dad sent .. was thinking of expanding .their Happy spot and this is the Perfect tutorial I'm in sweltery Mississippi fascinating seeing your landscape so different and yet Comfrey Thrives in all climes ..TY

My wife and I have discovered your channel and we are loving it! Your videos have helped us a lot, pity there is no translation in Portuguese, but we are very grateful for your generosity in sharing your knowledge.

I found you the other day because you look like my maternal grandmother from the 1960 - 1980. Red hair, mannerisms and smile. You could have been her sister or a niece. I enjoy learning from you as I did my grandmother in Boulder City then in Las Vegas. You mentioned Comfrey as an herb, I remember my Nana use to pick comfrey in her yard to make tea. I hadn't heard it shouldn't be ingested. Thank-you for sharing your knowledge. I love you in Christ. Hugs from northern California.

Boy, that wind is ferocious! Brings back memories of the September winds of my youth and watching the red Dixie sand blow all about town.

I had an elderly couple living next door for a long time and the wife was a real knowledgeable plant lady. She gave me comfrey plants and told me how useful they were and how to care for them. They have been growing for many years now and are actually quite beautiful as ornamentals. We chop the leaves up in fall and Throw them into the compost and turn it in. The soil we get from there each spring is rich and black. We have made the tea from leaves and it truly is a horrendous smelly mess when it is steeping. Once poured around plants the smell goes away in a day. I have to move all my plants that grow near our foundation to have some very work done. I feela bit better about moving the comfrey now. I will plant it in a raised bed and let it rest there until we can put it back where it has lived for so long now. Thank you for the comfrey information.

Well done. That's a great plant and great to feed your vegetables during growth. You can also use the common nettle weed if it grows in your part of the world (I'm in Ireland we have this abundantly) to do the same thing with regard to the mineral content. It's used to make a 'tea' and that's then fed to the growing vegetable plant. i also use seaweed as a food after it has bee steeped and the liquid drawn off and then fed to the plants.

Wow! If I tried dividing the comfrey plant like that all pieces would have died. I'm glad they did very well for you. Tfs!

Hello Mrs Cantrell, I just happened to find your videos, I really enjoy them, you are the best teacher on all your professional videos, I learn a lot. Thank you. Blessings.

Excellent video!! Watching you separate to make 1 plant into many reminded me of my mama!!! She used to do that, do root cuttings, and do clippings. Amazing how your 5 plants have just taken off. And the plants that got a dose of tea are thriving!!! Just makes me SO proud of you and how your work has progressed!!! Brava!!!!

My comfrey grows in sun and in shade. They survive N Utah winters. I cover them with leaves till spring. They emerge in April.

Great video! I just bought 12 1" root cuttings of Bocking's 14 off Etsy and so far nine has come up. I live in a really hot harsh climate but I have kept them watered!