Poorly comfrey

[Green_Poppy]

Hi I wonder if anyone can help me. I bought some comfrey roots a while ago and potted them. They were doing well but now have developed a kind of white mould on the leaves. Can anyone tell me what this is and what I can do about it. I haven't managed to plant them on my allotment yet. They're still in their pots.

[Snadger]

Sounds a bit like mildew which affects quite a few plants in the autumn. Comfrey is usually pretty hard to kill so will probably return with a vengence in the spring!

[Shadylane]

We've got this too - on some 1st year plants. The neighbours plants are the same (been there a while) and they didn't seem too worried when I asked them about it. Seems to be a lot of mould type stuff about. Probably due to the crap weather we had last month.

[Two_Sheds]

It's powdery mildew ... my comfrey have it too, along with all my squashes.
It's caused by hot dry weather: the plant transpires more water than it drinks in, and the mildew takes hold.

Don't worry too much, the comfrey will come back. btw, I would put it in the ground ASAP, it's not happy in a pot. It has a very deep tap root.

[bluemoon]

Definitely mildew, which is common in autumn when plants start to die back. It will not affect the overall health of the comfrey, but as Two Sheds says, it does need planting out as soon as possible or it will begin to suffer.

[Green_Poppy]

Thanks so much for all your advice. I'll try to get them in as soon as I can. Still clearing though. When you say it dies back, does that mean they will seem to disappear completely. I don't want to plant over them thinking they've gone to the great allotment in the sky.

[bluemoon]

Yes, it will die back completely, though there might be dead leaves on the surface to give you an indication of where it is. Comfrey is almost impossible to eradicate once you've planted it though, so choose a spot where you're unlikely to want to plant anything else, because once it's established it's there for good. As you only want it for the leaves it will do OK in a shady corner, by the shed or whatever. I certainly wouldn't want to take on a plot where a previous tenant had put their Comfrey in the middle of the allotment, mine is planted up under the privet hedge where nothing else will grow.

[Two_Sheds]

mine is planted up under the privet hedge where nothing else will grow.

and mine is along the edge of my plot, doing a valiant job at keeping next door's couch grass at bay

[Snadger]

I foolishly included Comfrey in my 'pocket' planting theme! Now I've got the bladdy stuff all over the place.

Bad move on my behalf......so that makes three things that will have there OWN bed next year........carrots, srawberries and comfrey! The rest will mix and match!

[Green_Poppy]

Ooh thanks for suggestions on where I can put them (no really). Think I might put mine next to the fence on the car park side. Do the roots go down to Hades, and if so, how best to tame them?

[Two_Sheds]

You don't need to tame the roots. Just make sure you plant it where you want it. It prefers damp, shady conditions, but mine does tolerate dry sun too for a while.