When to Plant Comfrey in Cairns, Tropical Guide
What this month normally looks like in Tropical
In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.
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This Comfrey guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Mar, Sep to Nov
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Spacing
- 50 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.0
Comfrey is a large leafed perennial grown by gardeners for mulch, compost and liquid feed, not for the plate. Common comfrey sets seed and is an environmental weed in Victoria. Bocking 14 is sterile and the safer choice.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Tropical
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar T
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul -
- Aug -
- Sep T
- Oct T
- Nov T
- Dec -
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
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How to Grow Comfrey in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Grows in most soils, including heavy clay and sand, and gives the best leaf yield on fertile, well-watered soil (Green Harvest). Loamy, well-draining but moisture holding soil is ideal, pH 6.0 to 7.0 (Epic Gardening). Give it a permanent bed of its own, since it is grown only for compost, mulch and liquid feed, never for eating.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun or light shade (Succeed Heirlooms).
- Spacing
- 50cm apart
- Watering
- Keep root cuttings moist until the first leaves appear (Green Harvest). Established plants like moist soil but cope with dry spells, because the tap root reaches water other plants cannot.
- Good companions
- Banana, Pear, Apple, Atemoya, Mandarin
Tropical Growing Tips for Comfrey
Recommended Varieties
- Bocking 14 (sterile Russian comfrey, Symphytum x uplandicum)
- Common comfrey (Symphytum officinale), which seeds and can become a weed
Key Challenges
- Spreads if left to seed
- Hard to remove once established
Pro Tips
- Grow Bocking 14 in a contained spot
- Cut leaves for mulch or compost
Pests and problems for Comfrey in Tropical
Harvesting Comfrey
How to harvest: Cut leaves for mulch, compost or liquid feed. Regrowth follows (inference).
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Comfrey
When do you plant comfrey in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Mar, Sep to Nov
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar, Sep to Nov
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Mar, Sep to Nov
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Mar, Sep to Nov
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Sep to Nov
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar, Sep to Nov
- Mediterranean (Perth): Mar, Sep to Nov
Can you grow comfrey all year round in Cairns?
No. In the Tropical zone the planting months are Mar, Sep to Nov. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Comfrey in Cairns?
No tropical source found. Comfrey is a cool climate plant that dies back in winter, so hot humid summers are a risk. Try it in part shade with steady water.
What are the best Comfrey varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Bocking 14 (sterile Russian comfrey, Symphytum x uplandicum), Common comfrey (Symphytum officinale), which seeds and can become a weed.
What grows well with Comfrey?
Good companion plants for Comfrey include: Banana, Pear, Apple, Atemoya, Mandarin.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.