Bocking 14 Comfrey Plant Roots – 15 Packs, Russian Comfrey Live Root Cuttings, Symphytum Officinale

Enhance your garden’s fertility and health with our premium Bocking 14 comfrey roots. This offering provides 20 packs of robust 4-inch bare roots, ready to establish quickly in your soil. Known scientifically as Symphytum officinale, Bocking 14 comfrey is a highly valued perennial for its rapid growth and exceptional nutrient accumulation. Unlike some comfrey varieties, Bocking 14 is sterile, meaning it won’t spread aggressively by seed, providing an excellent balance of vigorous growth without becoming invasive. This makes it an ideal choice for gardeners looking to harness the power of comfrey for sustainable gardening practices. Cultivating Russian comfrey plant is a fantastic way to introduce a powerhouse of nutrients into your ecosystem, beneficial for both soil and other plants.

Comfrey has been cherished by gardeners for centuries, and the Bocking 14 cultivar is particularly esteemed for its high allantoin content and ability to draw deep-seated minerals from the soil. These bare roots are an economical and effective way to start a substantial comfrey patch, whether you’re a seasoned permaculturist or a home gardener aiming to reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Plant these roots and watch them transform into lush, leafy plants that will serve your garden for years to come. This robust plant is an essential addition for anyone interested in organic gardening and natural soil enrichment.

Key Benefits

Our Bocking 14 comfrey roots offer a multitude of advantages for any gardener committed to organic and sustainable practices. Beyond its ease of growth, this plant provides significant ecological and practical benefits:

• Excellent Soil Enrichment: Comfrey leaves are rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace minerals, making them an unparalleled addition to compost piles. They act as a compost accelerator, breaking down organic matter faster and enriching the final product.
• Natural Fertilizer Source: The large leaves can be used directly as a nutrient-dense mulch around hungry plants like tomatoes, peppers, and fruit trees, slowly releasing vital nutrients as they decompose. This method provides a steady, organic feed for your plants.
• Dynamic Accumulator: Comfrey has deep taproots that mine nutrients from deep within the soil, bringing them up to the surface in its leaves, making these otherwise unavailable nutrients accessible to other, shallower-rooted plants. This is a key benefit of growing Symphytum officinale.
• Sterile Variety: As a Bocking 14 cultivar, these plants are sterile and will not produce viable seeds, preventing unwanted spreading throughout your garden while still providing vigorous growth and abundant leafy biomass. This makes managing your comfrey patch much simpler.
• Pollinator Attractor: Comfrey flowers, while not the primary reason for growing, are attractive to bees and other beneficial pollinators, contributing to the biodiversity and health of your garden ecosystem.
• Medicinal and Herbal Uses: Historically, comfrey has been used in herbal medicine for its healing properties, though contemporary use often focuses on its external applications and garden benefits. Understanding the full scope of sterile comfrey benefits can enhance its value in your garden.
• Vigorous & Hardy Growth: Once established, Bocking 14 comfrey roots are incredibly resilient, tolerating a range of conditions and providing abundant harvests of leaves year after year with minimal effort. This hardiness makes it a reliable perennial.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Growing Bocking 14 comfrey roots is straightforward, making it an excellent choice for gardeners of all experience levels. To ensure successful establishment and vigorous growth, select a site with full sun to partial shade. While comfrey is adaptable, it thrives best with at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight daily. Prepare your soil by ensuring it is loose, well-drained, and rich in organic matter. Comfrey prefers a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0-7.0). Amend heavy clay soils with compost and sand to improve drainage, or add organic matter to sandy soils to improve water retention.

When planting, lay the 4-inch bare roots horizontally about 2-3 inches deep in the prepared soil. Space roots approximately 2-3 feet apart to allow for their mature size, as comfrey can form large clumps. After planting, water thoroughly to settle the soil around the roots. During the initial growth phase, keep the soil consistently moist, but avoid waterlogging. Once established, comfrey is quite drought-tolerant, but regular watering during dry spells will encourage more lush foliage. Fertilization generally isn’t necessary once established, as comfrey is a dynamic accumulator, but a yearly top-dressing of compost can boost production. These robust plants are an excellent way to grow comfrey for compost and other soil-building purposes.

Comfrey is a hardy perennial, typically thriving in USDA zones 3-9. It will die back to the ground in colder climates during winter and re-emerge vigorously in spring. Harvesting leaves can begin once the plant is well-established, usually in its second year. Cut leaves about 2 inches above the ground every 4-6 weeks, allowing the plant to regrow. Regular harvesting encourages more leaf production. Watch out for slugs and snails, which can sometimes be attracted to young comfrey leaves. Overall, caring for your Russian comfrey plant is a rewarding experience, providing endless benefits to your garden.

Size & Details

This product includes 20 individual packs of Bocking 14 comfrey roots. Each bare root section measures approximately 4 inches in length, providing ample material for robust establishment. These bare roots are mature divisions from healthy parent plants, ensuring strong genetic material for vigorous growth. When fully mature, comfrey plants typically reach a height of 2-4 feet and spread 2-3 feet wide, forming dense clumps that are excellent for groundcover or for cutting for compost and mulch. These roots are shipped dormant and ready for immediate planting upon arrival, ensuring a seamless transition into your garden. Expect to see initial foliage growth within a few weeks of planting under optimal conditions, with significant leaf production by the second growing season.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big do these Bocking 14 comfrey roots get? A: Each bare root section is approximately 4 inches long. Once planted, the mature comfrey plant can grow 2-4 feet tall and spread 2-3 feet wide, forming a substantial clump.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Bocking 14 comfrey roots are intended for outdoor planting. They are hardy perennials that thrive in garden beds, permaculture systems, or dedicated comfrey patches.
• Q: How much sunlight does the Russian comfrey plant need? A: Comfrey prefers full sun to partial shade, ideally receiving at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal growth and leaf production.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, comfrey is a very low-maintenance plant once established. It’s known for its hardiness and vigorous growth, making it suitable for beginners and experienced gardeners alike.
• Q: What condition will the comfrey roots arrive in? A: The Bocking 14 comfrey roots will arrive as dormant, bare root sections, carefully packaged to ensure their health during transit. They are ready for immediate planting.
• Q: Can I use sterile comfrey benefits for medicinal purposes? A: While comfrey has a long history in herbal medicine, particularly for external use, we recommend consulting with a healthcare professional before using it for any medicinal purposes. Our focus is on its benefits for garden fertility.
• Q: When is the best time to plant these comfrey roots? A: The best time to plant Bocking 14 comfrey roots is in early spring after the last frost, or in late fall before the ground freezes, allowing them to establish a strong root system.
• Q: What kind of soil does comfrey prefer? A: Comfrey thrives in loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. It tolerates a range of soil types but performs best in a slightly acidic to neutral pH.
• Q: Will this comfrey spread aggressively by seed? A: No, Bocking 14 comfrey is a sterile cultivar, meaning it produces very few, if any, viable seeds. This prevents it from spreading invasively through your garden, unlike some other comfrey varieties.
• Q: How often can I harvest the leaves to grow comfrey for compost? A: Once established, you can typically harvest comfrey leaves every 4-6 weeks during the growing season. Cut the leaves about 2 inches above the ground to encourage regrowth.