Growing Comfrey

[John Kenworthy]

Hi,just wondering if anyone has had experience growing comfrey in the south of Thailand, I've got one plant growing at the moment but thinking of a ground cover for my palm oil and also making a fertilizer so will need more, wondering how they cope with our wet season.Thanks

[drtreelove]

Comfrey grows like magic! It is a remarkable plant with amazing vigor, regenerative properties and a multitude of uses. There are controversial issues around human and livestock health and toxicity that you should look into. In Thailand is is not well-known or widely used, or available.  It may be idealistic to consider cultivating it, unless you have sourcing for seeds or are patient and dedicated in propagating from your one plant.

 

https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/comfrey-its-history-uses-benefits/#:~:text=Ground cover – Some species can,the best species for this.

 

I don't know about comfrey in southern Thailand, but I've grown it in California, Chiang Mai and in southern India (Tamil Nadu Coramandel Coast) where there are double-whammy monsoon deluge seasons like southern Thailand. There we cultivated it on burms surrounding organic field crops, for biological control - pest predator habitat,  and production of biomass for mulching and compost. Tuberous comfrey is used for ground cover, but knowing what I do now, I would prefer a mixed species cover crop for soil-building in an orchard or palm plantation. 

 

Cover-cropping orchards and vineyards - Dr Christine Jones

https://youtu.be/PJs8GU1cG30?si=aKmMgXp1oCSDH112

 

Good on you if you are cover cropping for soil building in an oil-palm plantation. Our oldest daughter works in the palm oil industry in Chumphon and lives at her partner's familly plantation. I've seen firsthand the popular use of  0-0-60 fertilizer. Yes the large palm fruit has a high demand for potash, like durian.  But the use of Potassium chloride is short-sighted and one of the worst things that you can do for soil and plant health. Repeated use is detrimental to the benefical soil biology and represents one of the worst aspects of chemical farming and soil degradation.  Which of course can contribute to reduction of natural resistance to plant pests and diseases. 

[cooked]

I have seen Turmeric planted in such situations, and believe me, after a year or two it really takes over. Cash crop also.

Plenty of other tropical herbs are equally useful.

[John Kenworthy]

Thanks for your input,very helpful, thinking the same,use a mixed species as a cover crop but what species,oh well more Googling 

[drtreelove]

See SBF's post on page 3 of the Regenerative Ag discussion that he iniiated.  Posted August 7, 2020

Cover cropping is becoming much more widely known and appreciated as an important practice for soil building. 

 

https://kisstheground.com/education/resources/cover-crops/

 

Please share if you find sourcing for cover crop seed mixes in Thailand. 

SBF is developing some but I believe its primarily for export. Another inactive forum member's company is Best Garden State. They were starting to develop seed mixes but ran into regulatory issues for imports, requiring chemical treatments for imported seeds.