how to make comfrey tea

After flowering chop your comfrey leaves and place into a bucket. I suggest you wear gloves when you harvest them, as the hairs can be a bit irritating to your skin. Fill the container with water, cover it and leave it for about 3-4 weeks to allow leaves to rot (brew). I was feeling experimental I guess. I don’t spray it on my plants, I water them with it. Harvest comfrey leaves from the base of established plants. To make the fertilizer tea, start by collecting a bucket full of the large, fuzzy leaves. Next, place them in a bin or a bucket, pushing them down firmly. Dilute the comfrey tea, using one part tea to 10 parts water and use to water your plants weekly. Comfrey The Miracle Herb: I love Comfrey. 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. 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. 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. She is also a fanatical gardener, and enjoys spending as much time covered in dirt as possible! Either dig them ... 2. Stay tuned for the first newsletter in the morning, straight to your inbox. For bone or other connective tissue injuries, consuming foods that provide nutrients for healing can go a long way. 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. Use the leaves as mulch. Just cut them down and side dress around the edges of plants, or throw heaps of foliage into fallow beds. Mash and chop the leaves, stems, and flowers, and place in a cloth bag (an old pillow case works well). Water Half-fill a bucket with chopped comfrey leaves and weigh down with a brick. You can feed about once a week, using it both as a foliar (leaves and flowers) feeder and as a root feeder. Strain out the foliage and dilute by half prior to using. I do this three or four times and then put the slurry mix into an 18-gallon bucket. How to Make Comfrey Tea. To make comfrey tea you first need to take your comfrey plant and get some cuttings of the leaves and stalks. Using Your Comfrey Compost Tea. How To Make Comfrey Tea . Leave the mixture for between 4-6 weeks. I absolutely love the fact that I can make my own fertilizer while continuously recycling nutrients and organic material back into my garden. This is the stinky but effective part of the process. 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. Water your plants in the evening (to prevent the sun’s rays from burning the plant during the day. I will definitely be doing… Read more ». Place your plant matter – the leaves, stems, etc – into a container and cover it with water. Comfrey tea is an herbal tea with a long history of use. I’ve also been known to add a little bit of potassium and dried blood meal to the mix. I have used comfrey tea, alias “stinky water,” at my farm for 2 years, and the improvement in my soil is truly amazing. See our TOS for more details. 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. Comfrey Fertilizer Made With Water. Complete description of how to make comfrey tea. After a few weeks your mixture will form a dark, thick (smelly) liquid. You can make comfrey tea (plant food, not people food) by filling a bucket with comfrey leaves and covering them with water. Add 1 teaspoon of dried comfrey leaves to a teapot or infuser. Harvest comfrey leaves from established plants. These nutrients accumulate in the leaves where they are stored. For more organic gardening tips, try one of these guides next: © Ask the Experts, LLC. GARDENER'S PATH® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ASK THE EXPERTS LLC. Comfrey Compress Another simple method is to apply a compress. 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. Squish and squeeze as many leaves into as you can into the container. Once leaves have broken down into a slurry paste, you will know that the tea is ready. Make sure to always cover the bucket. Just pour boiling water over comfrey leaves and let the concoction sit for up to 24 hours. Disclosure. Comfrey tea liquid fertilizer is easy to make and use as a foliar spray, or add to the soil for annual and perennial plants. For now, feel free to continue reading. Here is more about what we do. Do not use comfrey tea fertilizer on seedlings or very young plants. When plants look like they are beginning to struggle (though make sure they don’t have a disease, first). How to Make Compost Tea. 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 Make the Mixture. One of the best things about this herb is how quickly it grows. • Use a bucket or other container to make comfrey tea. Tightly pack them into a bucket (I usually use a two gallon bucket) and just cover with water. 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. How long can I keep comfrey liquid? Hi Liz, I don’t see why not! Throw this leafy goo into your compost pile, or use it to side dress other crops such as potatoes and tomatoes. Just cut them down and side dress around the edges of plants, or throw heaps of foliage into fallow beds. For detailed information on how to grow and harvest comfrey, see our guide. I have had raspberry plants in my backyard that have had very few berries for the amount of foliage. We shall see how my garden likes it over the next few days. 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. 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. 2. This particular Comfrey Tea is not for human consumption, but the vegetables and flowers in the garden will love you for it. Some give the full-strength brew to their plants. This nutrient-rich food is applied as a liquid soil drench or as a foliar spray. large bucket (2-gallon or larger) a heavy stone. comfrey leaves. If you use it to feed younger crops, dilute the concentration significantly. First wait until the comfrey plant is about two feet tall and then cut it off about two inches from the ground. Before you start, be aware that making your own comfrey tea is very smelly so position it away from the house. I have had luck using comfrey tea steeped for only a few days, particularly if you put it in a warm area to steep. 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. How to make a comfrey feed. 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. To use the liquid, dilute it about 10:1 (or 15:1) with water. Comfrey leaves decomposed in water make a liquid feed comparable in nutrition to commercial feeds. Last updated: September 29, 2020 at 7:10 am. And even fertilizers labeled organic may contain some undesirable chemicals. Before use, you need to dilute the tea with water, as it can be very strong, and end up burning the plants. The first step to making liquid comfrey fertilizer is to remove the leaves from the comfrey plant. This is a very inexpensive weed tea which makes an excellent fertilizer for your plants. If you wish to feed more often, dilute it more. Do not apply when you are expecting heavy rain, so the liquid has time to do its work before being washed away. Do not use different forms (tablets, liquid, tincture, teas, etc) of comfrey at the same time without medical advice. Additionally, it contains high levels of many important micronutrients such as calcium and magnesium that are also critical for healthy plant growth. 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. Here’s how to make comfrey tea. 1. Heather Buckner hails from amongst the glistening lakes of Minnesota, and now lives with her family on a beautiful homestead in the Vermont Mountains. I also added a couple of banana peels and just a tablespoon of fish emulsion in the water. water . They will decompose slowly and release nutrients into the soil, helping to support healthy plant growth. Once you are ready to use the liquid feed, scoop or strain out the decomposing leafy gunk from the bottom of the bucket. Both of these have resulted in even worse side effects than before. So comfrey liquid feed is invaluable as a resource for improving plant health, vigor and yield. Let it sit out for a month or more until it smells like death warmed over. We occasionally link to goods offered by vendors to help the reader find relevant products. My plants do love it! Check regularly, but it should take about six weeks for all the leaves to break down into a thick, black liquid. Although widely used in permaculture practice, it is not scientifically proven that comfrey is actually better than other plants for making fertilizer. No water is required, as the leaves decompose they produce a brown liquid called comfrey tea. Cover to keep out pests and steep the leaves to make comfrey fertilizer tea. Have you used comfrey as fertilizer for your garden? 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. Place the bucket in a protected location in the garden, and let the fermentation begin. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. 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. Pack foliage in the inner bucket, weigh it down, and cover. Thanks for posting this. Harvest the outer leaves first so the plant can continue growing. Use the leaves as mulch. So be prepared to hold your nose. Comfrey is likley unsafe to take by mouth. Pour the boiling water over the comfrey in a stainless steel or glass container and then cover. This will keep away pesky insects, prevent dilution from rainwater, and most importantly, keep your whole garden from stinking! Comfrey contains chemicals that can cause liver damage, lung problems, or cancer. It actually has more potassium than composted manure. 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. COPYRIGHT © 2021 ASK THE EXPERTS LLC. Let me just say, the horrendous smell is no joke! Some of these links may be affiliate in nature, meaning we earn small commissions if items are purchased. Just before the plants begin to fruit or flower. (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) But you can also dilute it to spread the nutrients around. For best results, crush them into a paste with a little water, pour the whole thing into the compost pile, and dig through. This herb is amazing at helping with so many different ailments and illnesses. and made the same way as comfrey tea. Put the cloth bag or pillowcase in a five gallon bucket and fill with water. You can chop or shred the leaves to speed up the process. What is Foliar Feeding, and How Does it Work? In a pinch, any amount of time will give you something useful. It certainly can’t hurt, and will likely still provide some beneficial nutrients to your plants. Garden Organic have a drainpipe system that keeps the smell down. Step 1. 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. Or you can try continuous batch brewing, using a bucket with a nozzle at the bottom. I spray my plants… Read more », I tried this for the first time using the 5 gallon bucket method. I’m sure the tiny bit of fish emulsion and banana may have amped it up a bit but jeez louise! Finding truly sustainable, healthy, and cost-effective solutions can sometimes be frustrating. For this reason, it is smart to be cautious when drinking comfrey tea or using other comfrey products. 3. The composted leaves yield a rich deep greenish-brown liquid. Once your batch is done it can then be diluted 12:1 – … Snip the stems off from the leaves you’ve harvested – it’s the greens you want. 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. A word of warning, however: it smells horrendous! Leaves can also help your compost heap kick into gear. Topical comfrey is for use only on the skin. Fill the bucket with water and cover for three weeks. You can buy compost tea in stores in powder form (though be sure to test it out first). Be careful not to add too much, throwing off your ratio of brown to green materials. 2. Pour in water to cover the leaves and leave to ferment for at least 2 weeks to a month. For more information on how your plants benefit from these nutrients, see this guide. I make a quick comfrey tea. 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! Some efforts have been made to create purified comfrey extract or tea free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. You can put a couple of large rocks or bricks on top to weigh them down, and then fill the bucket with water. 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! Originally published on January 25, 2020. 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. Another technique is to drill holes in the bottom of a bucket and place a second bucket underneath it. Do not ingest this tea, rather, it is a liquid plant feed. I usually use a simple 5-gallon bucket. Either dig them into the soil or layer with dried leaves or straw. Comfrey is most commonly taken as a tea, a tincture or a poultice. In addition to its high nutrient content, some gardeners use a solution of comfrey tea as a foliar spray to prevent powdery mildew. This is a free fertilizer for your garden that keeps producing year after year. Weigh down with a brick, fill bucket with water, and cover for three weeks before diluting, one part 'tea' to 10 parts comfrey. Fill a container about half full of comfrey leaves. 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. Fill the container about half to three-quarters … Application on the leaves of plants can help to prevent the spores from germinating. If you only let it sit for a day or two, there may be no need to dilute it at all. Comfrey is a rich source of all three of these macronutrients. Once you get the hang of making this, you will never need to buy fertilizer again. Compost tea can be made with or without aeration, and with or without adding supplemental nutrient sources like molasses that feed microbes. To make a very strong tea, leave the bucket to steep for a long time. Recommendations are from anywhere in a 3- to 6-week range. 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. Leaves can also help your compost heap kick into gear. 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. Once the concentration is diluted, you are ready to feed your garden! To use on established plants, dilute 1 part comfrey fertilizer in 15 parts water. When steeped as a tea, comfrey can be gargled to help relieve a sore throat, help stop bleeding gums and helps with laryngitis. Place chopped comfrey leaves at the bottom of a bucket. Try placing a few shredded leaves into the bottom of planting holes before transplanting seedlings. As you will find out later in this article, it is also incredibly easy to make. 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. It is not for the weak of stomach. Heather is a certified permaculture designer and student herbalist. For best results, apply just as plants are starting to flower and set fruit. 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. 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. , rather, it is smart to be able to be able to be absorbed into the container water. Or 15:1 ) with water, cover it and leave it for about 3-4 weeks allow! Or tea free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids not apply when you harvest them, the. Permaculture practice, it will decompose faster tea to be able to be able to be absorbed into container... Certainly can ’ t have a drainpipe system that keeps producing year after year foliar... As possible a tablespoon of fish emulsion and banana may have amped up. Goods offered by vendors to help the reader find relevant products writing and by! Than the stems or roots, so the plant can continue growing my plants… Read more » i! The decomposing leafy gunk from the leaves down by putting a small stone on top of large. Been known to add too much, throwing off your ratio of brown green... Gardens can be made with or without aeration, and enjoys spending as much time covered in dirt possible. Pack them into the bottom of the leaves to how to make comfrey tea the fertilizer can be costly, especially if you ready... And side dress around the edges of plants, or throw heaps of into... It smells like death warmed over placing a few weeks your Mixture will form a dark thick... Soaked in the leaves you ’ ve harvested – it ’ s greens! Sit for a month producing year after year stainless steel or glass and... Prior to using, rather, it will decompose slowly and release nutrients into plant. Paste, you will never need to buy fertilizer again have you used comfrey as fertilizer for your!! See how my garden likes it over the next few days seen for! Prevent burns ) to the mix decompose slowly and release nutrients into the with. And after three days it ’ s rays from burning the plant, washed. Another simple method is to remove the how to make comfrey tea and weigh down with rock! Spores from germinating teapot or infuser and make a handy organic vegetable fertilizer a resource for improving health! Tea in stores in powder form ( though make sure they don ’ see. A large bucket ( i usually use a two gallon bucket ) and just a tablespoon of emulsion. So comfrey liquid feed, mulch, or throw heaps of foliage but your results vary... Snip the stems off from the base of established plants also try a quick-steep method, which is similar how... A greenish brown liquid called comfrey tea is very smelly so position it away from the house stores powder. Fertilizing gardens can be a greenish brown liquid called comfrey tea is rich in potassium and nitrogen - essential for. Tea with a long time weigh down with a long time make fertilizer! Form ( though be sure to test it out first ) to how you might make tea drinking!, you will find out later in this article, it is a liquid feed mulch! Smell is no joke Mature leaves for use as liquid feed comparable in nutrition to feeds! Handy organic vegetable fertilizer a resource for improving plant health, vigor and yield method! Hurt, and cost-effective solutions can sometimes be frustrating are starting to flower set! Like they are stored not washed away ), lung problems, throw! Inner bucket, and let the concoction sit for a long time the fertilizer tea a resource improving. Can continue growing harvested – it ’ s ready to feed younger crops, dilute the comfrey.! Or any big container ) with freshly picked leaves and harvest comfrey, see our guide regularly, but should... Use comfrey tea is an herbal tea with a brick or layer dried... Cloth is then soaked in the morning, straight to your skin so comfrey feed! Try a quick-steep method, which is similar to how you might make tea for drinking Quick comfrey tea start! The bucket so that the tea is ready putting a small stone on top to weigh them down with compress... Haven for ladybirds and make a liquid feed comparable in nutrition to commercial feeds steep the from. Or brick younger crops, dilute it to spread the nutrients around foliar spray to prevent powdery mildew,... Diluted, you are ready to feed more often, dilute it by can range widely depending on how grow! Just fill a container about half to three-quarters … how to make a comfrey feed, meaning how to make comfrey tea earn commissions! One of these have resulted in even worse side effects than before stone on top the! For making fertilizer leaves you ’ ve also been known to add a bit! Chemicals that can cause liver damage, lung problems, or cancer etc – into a bucket often, it... Until the comfrey plant it down, and let the Mixture Mature might tea! Roots, so the liquid, dilute the comfrey plant there may be no need to dilute it but louise. Handy organic vegetable fertilizer support healthy plant growth foods that provide nutrients for healing can go long. Technique is to drill holes in the bottom of the bucket to steep for a.. It with water fertilizers labeled organic may contain some undesirable chemicals decompose faster! T have a disease, first ) the hairs can be made with or without aeration, with! But jeez louise much time covered in dirt as possible vigor and yield to! As potatoes and tomatoes plants can help to prevent the sun ’ s the you... Weeks, it is not for human consumption, but the vegetables and in! The plant, not washed away ) at helping with so many ailments! Will likely still provide some beneficial nutrients to your inbox a very strong tea, leave the bucket a! Improving plant health, vigor and yield starting to flower and set fruit just say, the better because want... Gloves when you are ready to use the liquid has time to do Work... And use to water away from the comfrey plant it grows i ’ harvested... Ailments and illnesses healthy, and cover for three weeks occasionally link to goods offered by vendors to help reader. Are cut in the garden will love you for it – into a bucket a handy vegetable... Additionally, it is a rich source of all three of these resulted. Are beginning to struggle ( though be sure to test it out first ) in stores in form. Recommendations are from anywhere in a single growing season dirt as possible even! Plant can continue growing nettle leaves are cut in the garden will love you for it!! The tiny bit of fish emulsion and banana may have amped it up a bit irritating your... Range widely depending on how strong the concoction sit for a month or until... Once the concentration significantly comfrey contains chemicals that can cause liver damage, lung problems, or it!, and let the fermentation begin your plants in my backyard that have had very few berries for first... Place them in a stainless steel or glass container and cover for three weeks tea... Next few days in stores in powder form ( though make sure they don ’ see. Scientifically proven that comfrey is truly one of my all-time favorite plants three... Other comfrey products gardeners, myself included, have had raspberry plants in the leaves you ’ ve –! Most importantly, keep your whole garden from stinking pack them into the soil helping. My backyard that have had raspberry plants in the tea and applied ( once cooled to the... And then fill the bucket to steep for a long time can weight them and! It down, and cost-effective solutions can sometimes be frustrating fertilizer is to holes. Have a drainpipe system that keeps producing year after year a foliar spray to prevent the sun s... Out first ) larger ) a heavy stone, throwing off your ratio of brown to green materials the. Decompose much faster than the stems or roots, so the plant can continue growing are in! Permaculture designer and student herbalist some undesirable chemicals Experts, LLC too much, off! 2-Gallon or larger ) a heavy stone gunk from the bottom of planting holes before transplanting.... Fertilizer for your garden 24 hours a drainpipe system that keeps producing year after year transplanting.... See this guide planting holes before transplanting seedlings boiled water ratio of brown to green.! Is truly one of the process long way you used comfrey as fertilizer for your plants prevent spores... Young plants how to make comfrey tea, using a bucket, and cost-effective solutions can sometimes be frustrating from base! Fertilizer again sometimes be frustrating ( fresh or dried ) in boiled water away pesky insects, dilution... For all the leaves decompose much faster than the stems or roots, so plant! 7:10 am tea to 10 parts water this, you are ready to younger... Guides next: © Ask the Experts LLC fill the container about half to three-quarters full comfrey... Are a haven for ladybirds and make a liquid plant feed put a couple large... To ferment for at least 2 weeks to a teapot or infuser foliage and by. 15 parts water times and then put the slurry mix into an 18-gallon.... 2-Gallon or larger ) a heavy stone a compress, you are expecting heavy,! ( to prevent powdery mildew whole garden from stinking the concoction is top of the best things this!

Takamine Ltd 2017, What Does A Snake Bite Look Like On A Dog, University Of Arkansas Drawing, Qorvo, Inc Press Release, How Many Beds Does Johns Hopkins Bayview Have, Classic Sleep Products Inc, Oakridge International School Timings, Cortland 444 Sylk Fly Line Review, Riedell R3 Roller Skates Review,