The Plant That Replaces All Fertilizers FOREVER. Why Did the FDA Ban It? скачать в хорошем качестве

The Plant That Replaces All Fertilizers FOREVER. Why Did the FDA Ban It?

#Comfrey #Permaculture #OrganicGardening 40 Tons Per Acre, Zero Cost: The "Banned" Superplant That Scares The $227 Billion Fertilizer Industry Stand in your garden and calculate what you spent on fertilizer this year. Now imagine a plant that generates 40 tons of nutrient-dense biomass per acre, mines minerals from 15 feet underground, and composts in just 72 hours. In the 1970s, it was hailed as the solution to global famine. By 2001, it had vanished from almost every garden center in America. The global fertilizer industry generates $227 billion annually selling you synthesized chemicals. This plant makes that business model obsolete. This is the story of Comfrey (specifically the Bocking 14 cultivar), the biology that terrified the industry, and the FDA warning that destroyed its reputation to protect corporate profits. 🔬 THE SCIENCE OF BOCKING 14: British researcher Lawrence Hills spent 30 years testing 14,000 varieties to find the perfect strain. He found it in "Bocking 14." The Nutrient Elevator: Comfrey roots drive 15 feet deep into the subsoil, mining calcium, phosphorus, and trace minerals no vegetable crop can reach, bringing them to the surface. Potassium Powerhouse: Fresh comfrey leaves contain over 3% potassium, whereas farmyard manure rarely exceeds 1%. Rapid Decomposition: While clover takes weeks to break down, comfrey leaves have such a low C:N ratio they decompose in days, acting as an ignition switch for compost piles. Sterility: Unlike wild comfrey, Bocking 14 is sterile. It produces no seeds and will not invade your garden. 📜 THE HISTORY: 1845 (The Famine): Henry Doubleday, a Quaker witnessing the Irish Potato Famine, sought a crop to save the starving. He imported Russian comfrey that showed "hybrid vigor"—explosive growth with zero inputs. 1950s (The Research): Lawrence Hills founded the Henry Doubleday Research Association. He refused to patent Bocking 14, mailing cuttings for free to farmers worldwide to decentralize fertility. 🚫 THE SUPPRESSION (2001): On July 6, 2001, the FDA issued a warning regarding pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) found in comfrey, which can cause liver damage if ingested in large quantities. The Spin: The ban was on supplements (pills), not plants. The Result: The nuance was lost. Nurseries stopped selling it. The fertilizer industry—facing rising natural gas costs for the Haber-Bosch process—watched as their only free competitor was labeled "toxic." The Reality: Using comfrey as mulch or fertilizer poses zero risk to humans, and soil microbes break down the alkaloids rapidly. 🌱 HOW TO USE IT: Chop & Drop: Cut leaves at 3ft tall and place around fruit trees/tomatoes. Compost Activator: Toss leaves into a stalled compost pile to spike the temperature within 24 hours. Compost Tea: Steep leaves in water for 2 weeks for a high-potassium liquid feed. 📚 SOURCES: Hills, L.D. (1976). Comfrey: Past, Present and Future. Faber & Faber. FDA/CFSAN (2001). Advisory on Dietary Supplements Containing Comfrey. Rode, J. (2002). Comfrey toxicity revisited. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. Henry Doubleday Research Association (Garden Organic) Archives. #Comfrey #Permaculture #OrganicGardening #Fertilizer #SoilHealth #Bocking14 #SustainableAgriculture #Homesteading #GardenHacks #FreeFertilizer #SoilAndSecrets