What's eating my bocking 14 comfrey?

Bocking 14 is the most cultivated sterile clone of Russian Comfrey and shares the genus's strong pest resistance. Slugs are the most frequent problem on spring growth; caterpillars of the scarlet tiger moth may also graze leaves. The deep taproot and exceptional vigour mean established plants outgrow most pest damage without intervention.

Holes in young leaves and new spring shoots; slime trails around the crown after wet nights Mulch crowns with coarse grit or straw; scatter iron phosphate pellets in spring; hand-pick under damp debris at night

Leaf margins and surfaces chewed by striking black-and-yellow caterpillars, sometimes heavily in spring Leave if tolerable — a protected native moth in the UK; hand-remove caterpillars if defoliation threatens the plant's productivity

Small colonies on tender new shoots; leaf curl and honeydew residue; generally self-limiting Dislodge with a strong water jet; comfrey flowers draw beneficial predators (hoverflies, parasitic wasps) that naturally suppress aphids