How to Make All-Natural Comfrey Fertilizer
Did you know you could make your own powerful, all-natural fertilizer from comfrey?
Maybe you have this prolific plant called comfrey growing in your garden already. If you don’t, run, don’t walk, to plant some!
I received some baby comfrey cuttings from a friend. When I planted them, they were a little slow to take off. I hoped that I hadn’t killed them.
Then, all of the sudden they exploded and my hillside is now covered in comfrey! A good problem to have, for sure!
What is Comfrey?
This herb is in the borage family. It grows tall stalks with vibrant leaves. Little purple flowers grace the stalks.
It can be used in herbal remedies. This post is not about how to prepare comfrey for use as medicine, although it is very powerful.
It has been used to help heal broken bones, varicose veins, burns, and eczema.
The leaves, flowers, and root can be infused into a tincture or oil. Comfrey salve is a popular item for burns and bruises.
(Check out this article for more info on comfrey.)
But today, we’re talking about using it for our other plants!
Comfrey as Fertilizer
Imagine a plant with roots that reach deep down into the soil. These big roots pull up all kind of good nutrients from the ground.
Comfrey contains potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. These are super nutrients that are in a lot of fertilizers you can buy at the garden center. Of course there are more minerals and vitamins that live in comfrey, and they are all good for your plants!
Potassium is needed for your plants for healthy leaves and fruit. It helps it grow. You can tell if a plant is potassium deficient if the leaves are brown and curling under.
Phosphorus is needed for the plant to have healthy growth with strong stems.
Nitrogen helps the plant grow and it is vital! Nitrogen deficiency shows up in yellow leaves.
How to Make the Comfrey “Tea” for Fertilizer
Making the comfrey “tea” is so very simple.
First, you will cut down some of your comfrey stalks. Just use scissors, and cut them off.
Then, you can chop, or you can use scissors to cut into smaller pieces, maybe 4-6 inches long, it doesn’t matter. There’s no need to crush them, but you can if you want.
Next, put the stalks into a five gallon bucket, and fill with water.
I stirred it around a bit.
Now, put on a lid and let it sit in the sun for at least two weeks.
You can let it sit longer if you’d like.
When Is Comfrey Tea Ready to Use?
After two weeks of cooking in the sun, the comfrey tea should be ready.
How will you know?
Give it a sniff!
It will stink to high heaven!
The next step will be to strain out the fermented (ok, rotten) comfrey stalks.
I just strained it a little at a time, and left the stalks in the original bucket.
What I did was use some stained cheesecloth and dipped the comfrey tea out with a jar. It strained through the cheesecloth. You’re not gonna want to reuse the cheesecloth.
Preparing the Fertilizer
I used three parts water to one part comfrey tea. You can dilute it as weak as you think you’d need. There is no exact measurement you must abide by.
Then water your plants with it!
That’s it!
See how simple? Now you have a virtually free, powerful fertilizer for all your plants needs.
Curious about other ways to naturally fertilize your garden? Check out this post.
