permaculture

[ERDA Institute <erda@nor.com.au>]

Title: Re: [permaculture] more on nft's in the orchard, mulch plants and standard rootstocks

> About Comfrey
>  Rarely propagates from seed - the best way to spread it is to dig it up /disturb the roots. The best way to get rid of it is to put ducks on to forage. I planted a ring of comfrey around 40 trees in my orchard - was fantastic until the ducks went in - within 6 months not a single comfrey leaf to be seen.
> Robyn 
>
> on 29/8/03 5:46 PM, sam bucus at samm_bucus@yahoo.com wrote:
> the comfrey mulch issue is challenging.  there were a variety of responses.  i am maybe going to guess that those in warmer areas can develop a comfrey problem and those of us in colder areas may not have it as bad? maybe i am wrong.  i know its hard to get rid of and i have worked with it alot.  i havent heard of roots 6 feet deep and 15 feet wide, but i know its vigorous, to put it lightly.  but in northern wisconsin it doesnt seem to spread so readily.  maybe it is a cultivar issue, but a neighbor of mine has a comfrey plant in an abandoned garden.  it grows every summer without help, but doesnt spread.  we will see.  i will always apply compost, but the idea of having a living mulch so close to the trees seems too good to pass up.  and if i am cutting it regularly, maybe even three or four times a season for mulch, wont that take a lot of energy out of root growth and put it to leaf growth, which is what i w ant anyway, and should help reduce its ability to spread?  
>