I'm renting a house with a sizable yard and the tenants before me planted some comfrey... There are four different areas where I have huge comfrey mounds (one of the plants is about six feet across)... Digging it out only seems to have encouraged it... I would like to remove a few of the plants - how do I keep them from coming back?

Well Mel, you go to China and start digging the
"END OF THE ROOTS OUT FROM THAT END FIRST"
(BIG SMILE AND A WINK~WINK )
I am just joking I promise!!!

I know exactly what you are talking about.
My brother gave me a clump of it *and I had to put it in two places because I thought it was so pretty, and he didn't know what it was, but his exact words were, "It grows real good for me" should have been my first and only clue NOT to take it from him if it grew for HIM!

I have to say, my clumps were small and after I figured out they were quite hardy to say the least and I wanted them gone, I pulled the leaves or now I cut them with my pruners as the there's tiny little hairs in the stems and undersides of the leaves that will stick into your skin and hurt.
The more I cut their leaves the more they are intent for me anyways, just to replenish new leaves for it's self where it is, I haven't had too much of it rooting in directions to the left or right *I thought it had a big tap root and goes staight down, and hence not a side shooter or runner*
It is just staying a managable size, or declining slowly, the more energy it puts into trying to re~grow some more leaves it wastes energy because I keep cutting them off, and it's hard for a plant to give it's self nutrition when it's leaves are continuously cut off...
Does that make sense??
*I am a rotten explainer sometimes*
I also don't give it water unless it rains...
and no fertilizer either!!! And one clump I pulled all the leaves on, dug a hole and put in another plant I knew was hardy but not too brute like for the rest of the garden, and I only foliar feed that plant and keep nipping the new leaves as they shoot up.
And it's not doing too bad of a job!

How is yours located???
Is it by it's self???
You could cut it off at or attempt to get a bit of it below the dirt line and cut into that....
Put some X's in it with a shovel or trowel.....
Pour some boiling water into it, some salt and some strong vinegar, and then put some card board over that, heavy layers, a plastic tarp over that, and a brick on top of that, especially right where it was coming out...
I'd wait a season at least and that should get it to die out!

I know it's supposed to be a usefull herb and all, I think I would have a bigger heart for it if I'd of gotten the purple variety, but I got the white color!!

Hope some of this info helps!!
Hopefully some one else will be by with a bit more help as well!!!
And please keep us posted on how you make out with the plant!!!

Weezie

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





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