Cultivated since at least 400 B.C., comfrey exhibits delicate blue, pink, purple, or white flowers that attract birds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators and beneficial insects to the homestead landscape.
An extremely cold-hardy, perennial plant with an expansive root system, comfrey, also known as hound’s tongue, presents large bold, green leaves and a sturdy, upright flowering stalk. Comfrey is easily recognized by its long, slender deep-green leaves and thick, black-skinned roots.
这种木质草本植物成熟时可达2-3英尺高。从4月初到深秋,这种植物开着类似勿忘我的小花。在野外,紫草茂盛地生长在牧场、草地、水道和路边的沟渠中。
There are three plant species commonly referred to as the crop known as comfrey. Prickly comfrey earns its names from the bristle-like hair on its leaves and stems. Fields of common or wild comfrey grace the landscapes of England and Asia, while blue comfrey, also known as Russian or Quaker comfrey, blankets the hills of western Siberia.
聚合草的大叶子为益虫提供了栖息地,而聚合草通过它黑色、长而多毛的根从土壤深处收获养分和水分。这种植物的粗根就像一个蓄能器,从土壤中吸收大量的必需营养物质。
All species of comfrey thrive in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3 through 9. Comfrey does best in sweet, nutrient-rich soil with a of pH 6.0 to 7.0 and prefers moist soil in a full-sun location. It produces the highest yields when cultivated under cool conditions. However, the hardy plant will tolerate light shade, is frost resistant, and will not wilt under protracted periods of warm days and drought.
Growing Comfrey
To produce the most abundant harvest, comfrey plants should be cultivated clear of weeds and competitive grasses and roots. Many gardeners plant beds of comfrey to establish a perennial source of rich organic fertilizer. Composted comfrey is as much as seven times higher in a diverse array of nutrients compared to conventional garden compost.
聚合草很少产生种子。繁殖可以通过移栽、树冠分裂或扦插来完成。聚合草易于传播,经过一两年的生长,聚合草床将产生相同的数量,从三种繁殖方法中的任何一种。
Transplants and crowns are available for sale at local home and garden centers, landscape nurseries, or online. If you want to establish a large comfrey colony, crown divisions are the least expensive propagation option.
Starting your comfrey crop from crown divisions is also the fastest method to encourage a high-yield crop the first year of planting. Crown divisions develop new buds in less than ten days, while it takes 3-6 weeks for root cuttings to generate new plants.
Planting Time
Comfrey is best planted in early spring after the soil begins to warm. Give a bit of thought to where you want to establish comfrey, because once started, the tenacious hardy plant is difficult to get rid of. A mature comfrey bed will flourish for decades before it begins to decline.
Plant comfrey crown divisions on 3-foot spacing, mounding soil around the base of the plant. Water new plantings well to remove air pockets around the roots. Tamp the soil lightly to hold crown divisions in place.
When planting root sections, plant 3-6 inch pieces of root approximately 3 feet apart. Lay the root sections in soil horizontally, planting 4-6 inches deep. If the soil is sandy, plant cuttings on the shallow side; if clay, plant root cuttings a bit deeper. Water transplants or cuttings well and keep moist until new growth appears.
Comfrey is simple to grow. Once established, it pretty much takes care of itself. Non-invasive and easy to control, comfrey is a handsome addition to rock gardens, herb beds, and border plantings. Comfrey grows to a height of 2-3 feet and forms mounds more than a yard wide.
Drought-tolerant and disease-resistant, comfrey is an attractive landscaping plant, useful when used as a backdrop to colorful annuals. Comfrey is not bothered by insects and works well as a companion planting to corn, cucumbers, and carrots.
与许多植物不同,当植物开始开花开花时,营养生长不会停止。聚合草在整个生长季节都能生长出新的植物,在深秋的时候还能长出丰富的新鲜、营养丰富的叶和茎。虽然紫草是耐旱的,但它最好定期浇水,每周至少提供一英寸的水分。
Homesteaders practicing permaculture suggest planting comfrey around the base of orchard trees. Space plants 18 inches apart. The large outer leaves of the comfrey plant form a dense, nutrient-rich mulch and ground cover. At the end of the growing season, comfrey plant leaves and debris make a welcome addition to the compost pile.
Harvesting Comfrey
While the slender leaves can be harvested anytime, comfrey is at its peak just before the flowers bloom. Experienced comfrey growers suggest waiting until the second or third year to harvest, allowing time for the roots to fully develop and mature.
Cut the comfrey leaves at the base of the soil. Add harvested leaves, stalks, and stems to homestead compost piles, turning the compost pile and mixing comfrey greenery well into the compost mix.
Comfrey And Composting
Comfrey is at its best as a bio-activator in compost bins. If you have piles of dried brown grass, leaves and garden debris, multi-layering it with comfrey is an excellent method to “jumpstart” decomposition and to balance out carbon to nitrogen ratios.
为了有效地加速分解,收集紫草叶子,在加入棕色废料之前将它们切碎或压碎。我发现最快的方法就是在搅拌器中加入紫草叶和一些水,然后把混合物调高。我分批处理,将液体倒入5加仑的桶中。
Once I have cleaned up the blender, rinsing it first with water, which I add to the bucket, I fill the bucket with water. I then pour the crushed comfrey and water mixture over the compost pile and toss the mix lightly. This little extra step greatly accelerates the process, allowing microorganisms, beneficial to compost piles, to immediately get to work.
要使用聚合草扦插作为绿色肥料,将新割下的叶子放入花园植物、灌木和树木周围的土壤中。使用聚合草的插枝作为绿肥是城市园丁的一个诡计,他们没有方便地获得草食动物的粪便(牛、羊、山羊、马或羊驼),或园丁只是寻求绿肥的土壤增强效益,而没有令人不快的气味。紫草堆肥中含有丰富的微生物,是各种土壤的优良调理剂。
Cautions And Concerns
Agricultural research studies conducted over the past two decades suggest comfrey may contain certain toxic alkaloids that many researchers consider a potential carcinogen, thus restricting the development of comfrey as a modern day food crop.
由于研究报告提出的警告,许多人避免摄入紫草:紫草已被证明对肝脏有毒性。不要在茶或酊剂中使用紫草。不要用紫草叶喂牲畜。
Benefits Of Comfrey
Comfrey is considered an important herb in traditional folk medicine, long used in poultices proven helpful for bruises, sprains, muscle tears, and to help heal broken bones. To craft a drawing salve for infections, splinters, or lesions, add powdered marshmallow root or slippery elm to a comfrey-based salve or ointment.
一个简单的拉丝药膏只需要3杯新鲜切好的紫草和1杯特级初榨椰子油。将紫草和椰子油混合在一个双层锅炉中,用小火慢炖,提取愈合精油。
Remove the oil mixture from the heat and strain through cheesecloth into a glass measuring cup with a spout. Add two tablespoons of chopped beeswax to the mixture to achieve a salve with a firm consistency. Stir to blend and melt the wax. Pour the mixture into sterile, small glass jars. If you use dark-colored glass jars with sealable lids, the antiseptic ointment will store well for several years.
Fresh comfrey steeped in coconut oil is an excellent base for a diverse array of homemade salves and ointments that offer natural relief from burns, abrasions, insect bites, and chaffing. Experiment with the addition of freshly cut flowers and leaves of your favorite medicinal herbs.
A salve combining peppermint essential oil and comfrey provides relief from the burdensome pain of burning, aching feet and is especially helpful to persons suffering from diabetic neuropathy.
However, for homesteaders, one of the plant’s most useful qualities is its role in maintaining healthy permaculture systems. Every homestead should grow a plot of comfrey. Comfrey decomposes to create great moisture-holding mulch and the most nutrient-rich compost you can imagine.
Comfrey also helps repel invasive predators that damage the homestead harvest. It’s a fact! Comfrey mulch, spread around the base of plants in the garden, is the best slug deterrent I have ever used.
References
- Comfrey: A Clinical Overview, US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
- Comfrey, University of Wisconsin – Alternative Field Crops Manual
- Wild Comfrey, Missouri Department Of Conservation