The original comfrey cream I got from Mr Hills also was, I think, a cheat, as I
suspect it was vaseline that he used. He also did not have the integrity I
expect.
So I am sorry I do not have any comfrey cream any more. That stuff--I suppose it
is the allantoin in it--really truly does heal. Really works.
Argall Family wrote:
> Some ladybirds [as we call them down here] are carnivores, some herbivores.
>
> The beneficial ones are the carnivores, devourers of aphids, etc.
>
> There is one herbivorous ladybird here [called the 28 spot] which is a
> problem with its taste for potato leaf and more.
>
> We have found this bug also likes comfrey leaves, and the availability of
> lots of comfrey leaf allows its population to grow and it is then predated
> sufficient to effectively eliminate its impact on the potatoes.
>
> So Bart, maybe comfrey is a weed as you suggest but:
> - it has potential in pest management
> - it is a good grass barrier
> - being deep rooted it is a mineral miner and this adds to its value as a
> compost accelerant
> - under its broad leaves, the ground is cool and moist and provides habitat
> for all sorts of creatures
> - being deep rooted it is not a great competitor with the shallow roots of
> young fruit trees
> - it tends to die back early in drought weather and is not fiercely
> competitive in times of water stress
> - you can use its juice (containing alantoin), preferably from a piece of
> root, the leaf being prickly, to deal with scratches in the field
>
> BUT it must not be chopped up by a cultivator, unless you want to become a
> bulk supplier of comfrey leaf to a herbalist, as every root fragment will
> grow. Not a problem if you don't use a rotary hoe.
>
> We put four bits of comfrey root around every fruit tree we plant, two or
> three feet from the trunk. It's cheap, multipurpose and valuable. You do
> need, through the summer, to hit the comfrey leaves, two or three feet high,
> with a knife [I use a cane knife, which has a handy hook at the tip of the
> back, very good for pulling mulch where you want it], every few weeks
> through summer, chopping them up where they fall and pulling them away from
> the trunk.
>
> As the trees mature and the canopy closes (in a close planted permaculture
> orchard), and grass competition declines, the comfrey gives up.
>
> Dennis
>
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