Comfrey tea foliars?

[Crane]

I have a bucketful of ready to use comfrey tea (judging by the smell,like an extremely bad halitosis!). I would like to use it firstly as a foliar spray to try to treat a chlorotic plant,but I would need recommendations about what dosage to go with? I've seen a 1:10 ratio recommended online,but then again I've seen the same ratio recommended for watering the roots with? So tips about any experience based ratios very much appreciated

Also,can I store the filtered goo in a bottle?

 

[Mootah]

I have used comfrey tea, 1:10 is good, 1:8 is good too if tolerated . What kind of spreader wetting agent are you considering? Storage needs a dedicated bucket,air stone and pump.

 

[Crane]

Would a drop of pine soap do as spreader?

 

[Mootah]

Dish detergent is ok, I used dawn, works well.

 

[Crane]

So yeah, I made a 1:10 spray, and it seems to have worked very nicely. Added that one drop of soap to maybe 0.5 liters.

 

[Mootah]

Cool!

 

[bobrown14]

For comfrey once it start to smell that's anaerobic bacteria at work. Those are the bad guys.

Here's what you can do with the comfrey tea that smells like composting manure.

Get a mason jar - bigger the better fill to the top or almost with your tea - this can be nettle tea /dandelion tea/comfrey tea - these are all green manures and you will know this from the stink.

OK so you have your mason jar filled with your tea of choice. Put a lid on it and let the bacteria break it all down without taking the lid off. This will take several weeks. The water will begin to clear that's how you know its done.

This tea can be kept like that for a very long time I've got some that is over a year old.

The smell will be gone and you can foiler on and water in. Dilute as you did already I do say a 1/2 cup to a 1/2 gal or 1 gal of water.

You will be ok with spraying like you did. I wouldn't do it very many more times tho.

For comfrey, its a pretty strong green manure meaning its best used FRESH - make your tea and use it the same day, jar up the rest as mentioned above.

Comfrey breaks down VERY quickly in a matter of a few days in soil.

Another way to use it is chop of some leaves (or just lay the leaves on top of the soil) and top dress with it and water. Its a great nitrogen boost for the plants so best to use it all thru VEG.

Stinging Nettle and dandelions are 2 other really good dynamic accumulators that are great for composting, teas and top dress.

 

[Crane]

Yeah I actually did ponder that unaerobic aspect after smelling the stuff, but then the thought passed and I just went for it. Gonna try the adding leaves straight to soil thing next.

 

[bobrown14]

Comfrey is GREAT stuff. We have several plants outside in our gardens. We harvest the leaves, cut the plant down to the crown, and put the leaves in our compost bins. The bins will be filled to the tops. In 3-4 days its all composted and pretty much gone. Amazing really. The worms love this stuff.

Can make a salve with this too its good for sore muscles, bruises and injuries. It's not subtle either.

Comfrey AKA - Bone knit. Its been a traditional medicine for healing for 10s of thousands of years.

 

[Crane]

Ok so looking back I'm not so sure if the comfrey foliar was good or bad. A lot of my deficiency problems showed up a couple of days after spraying, and now 5-6 days later the plants are starting to look better again... maybe the ratio was too strong or maybe it really had gotten too unaerobic in the bucket.

 

[bobrown14]

If it smells like poop..... it'd be like spraying poop on your plants. Pretty strong in the N department. Maybe a little burn there.

Good bacteria live on the plants leaves (like human skin), so likely you overwhelmed them a little bit. What doesn't kill them will only make them stronger!!

I would rinse them with plain water & IPM or add coconut water. You prolly don't want any lingering flavors.