RUSSIAN COMFREY
BOCKING #4 Prices
& How to Order
Symphytum x uplandicum=
Symphytum peregrinum=
Symphytum asperum x officinale
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Buy Organic Bocking
#4 Comfrey (Comphrey, Comfry)
I sell Bocking
#4 strain of Russian comfrey, Symphytum Peregrinum. It is high in protein
(22%) and has a high yield, up to 100-120 tons an acre. It is a very good
perennial fodder herb for animals.
It is also known as Quaker comfrey, Russian Comfrey, American Comfrey, Healing
Herb, Blackwort, Bruisewort, Wallwort, and Gum Plant. It is scientifically
known as Symphytum asperum x officinale which is the same as Symphytum peregrinum
which is the same as Symphytum x uplandicum.
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Russian
Comfrey Developed by Lawrence Hills
Russian Comfrey
No. 4 has purple flowers. It is a natural hybrid (cross-breed) developed
in the 1950s by Lawrence D. Hills, the founder of the Henry Doubleday Research
Association. It is not GMO (Genetically Modified Organism).
This photo is Russian comfrey growing on a hillside with other plants such
as Asters and Pokeweed. Mixed with other plants it is good for erosion control.
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Russian
Comfrey and Drought Reistance
Russian Bocking
#4 is more drought resistant than Russian Bocking #14 because #4 has deeper
roots.
Bocking #4 roots go down 8-10 feet. Bocking #14 roots go down 6-8
feet. However, both are very drought resistant.
This photo is from Tony in Fairfax, Virginia. He grows his Russian Comfrey
mixed in with his other garden crops.
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Bocking #4 Comfrey
is Not Invasive
It
is not invasive at all. The seeds are sterile (will not grow).
Over the
years a plant will slowly widen with new plants growing right next to the mother
plant. But it will not send out invasive runners that take over a garden.
If
you want more plants, you can divide plants and replant them elsewhere.
The
photo to the left is the flowers buds before they open.
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Comfrey Bocking
#4 is Good for Fodder
Bocking No.
4 cultivar is popular as feed for animals such as goats, sheep, cattle,
pigs, ducks, chickens, donkeys and horses. Harvest leaves many times throughout
the year.
Animals love comfrey. My goats eat all varieties with great enthusiasm.
This is a photo of a Toggenburg doeling in my pasture with comfrey and other plants. I use rotational grazing so they do not eat down the comfrey too much and weaken it.
For a comparison of Russian Comfrey Bocking #4 and #14 see the
Bocking
#14 page.
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"Comfrey
Report" Book
From
the book "Comfrey Report: The Story of the World's Fastest Protein Builder and
Herbal Healer" by Lawrence D. Hills written in 1975:
"There are two commercial strains-- the Webster and the Stephenson.
The Webster Strain: This is the most popular commercial strain, started
by the late R. O. Webster to have been imported by his father from St. Petersburg,
Russia, in 1900. Bocking No. 4- This is the dominant in the strain,
about 50% to 60%. The flower color is Bishops Violet 34/3 when fully open.
It has strong stems and small wings."
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"Comfrey
Report" Book (continued)
"The
leaves are broad and round tipped; their proportion is 5 to 10, but they
have no incurling: therefore they appear far wider than a No. 1, for example.
The edges are unserrated, and the veins are prominent, with bristles thickest
on the underside so that the upper leaf surface appears smooth. At leafy
stage these leaves are very large, recovering rapidly from cutting. The
stems, as in all variations under trial, are solid."
The photo to the left is of Lawrence Hills who created all of the Russian
Comfrey Bocking variations #1 through #21.
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Comfrey
Roots for Sale
I sell hardy
stock that is ready to grow. These are live plants. Ready for planting.
Comfrey can be planted any time the ground is not frozen.
They do well planted spring, summer or fall. It can be planted in the winter in
warm climates.
It is very cold tolerant...the perennial roots are hardy to minus 40 degrees
(-40)! The leaves can withstand temperatures as low as 15 degrees and still
be healthy.
The plant can survive in temperatures as hot as 120 degrees. Good in USDA
Zones 3-9. It starts growing early spring and continues growing into late
fall.
The photo with the cat
shows the size of one plant. The leaves are large. It gets taller than that (about
3 feet without the flowerstalk).
The photo of the Comfrey #4 in the black pot is from Rick in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania. The plant is from a root I sent after 17 days. Rick says "The plant is growing rapidly and the leaves look bright and healthy."
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Comfrey
Photos from Customers
This photo
and the next one are from Misti. They are Russian Comfrey #4 coming up in
the spring.
"I wanted to let you know the new crowns are doing well and are starting
to grow from when I planted them this winter!" - Misti, Fort Mills, South
Carolina
Send me your Comfrey photos. I can add them to my farm site.
The photo of the Comfrey in the pot is from Lauren.
"I purchased a crown
of your Bocking #4 earlier this year and just wanted to let you know the
plant has been growing vigorously. Sometimes it gets a bit wilty what with
the harsh sun and days in excess of 95 degrees F, but, then again, so do
I. Otherwise, it's growing fine up here in Colorado.
I have been enjoying
watching it grow and babbling endlessly about it to anyone unfortunate enough
to listen." -Lauren, Boulder, Colorado |
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Buy Live
Comfrey #4 Roots
This photo
shows what your root will look like. They are sprouted with small green
leaves.
$19.00
for a root cutting of Russian Comfrey Bocking #4. Shipped
Monday. Shipping is $7 no matter how many comfrey roots you order. You can
order other types of comfrey root too, all with just $7 shipping total.
Your
roots will be crown cuttings with leaves trimmed off or a root cutting with
a bud that is ready to grow.
Comfrey
Easy Order Page
"Your Comfrey Bocking #4 arrived safely and are
now planted out in the very, very best of beds. They arrived in excellent
condition, wrapped beautifully, towel still moist. Thank you so much for
taking such good care in packaging them. All the best for the growing season."
-Margaret, Kodiak, Alaska
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