What do snails eat in the garden and how to get rid of them?
Characteristics of snails
Snails can come in various forms. Some have shells (e.g. vineyards or garden ribbons), others are naked, without shells (e.g. slugs). A snail can be relatively large or quite tiny. Regardless of the type, the snail is a creature that likes moist and cloudy weather and moist and fertile soil. It feels best in gardens full of shady nooks and crannies, tall grass and decaying plant remains. It is one of the most common creatures in the garden. They appear there en masse and destroy plants and roots, and leave a characteristic slime everywhere. They gnaw irregular holes in leaves and petals, and devour smaller plants whole.
Gardens and various crops are most threatened by slugs, especially when there are more of them. Without any fatigue, they feed throughout the growing season, but they can cause the greatest damage in spring, when we are just starting sowing and planting. Sometimes only bitten stems remain from young plants. We must remember that plants that have been damaged by snails get sick more often, are weaker and their fruits do not impress.
Snails have many natural enemies. These are insects, frogs, toads, robins, blackbirds, thrushes, lizards, starlings, pheasants, rooks, gulls, ducks, jays, and also hedgehogs, shrews and moles. These animals can effectively work to reduce the snail population in our garden.
Some plants also act as a deterrent to snails. This group includes: marjoram, savory, chamomile, garlic, sage, thyme and onion.
What do snails eat?
Among the snails, we can distinguish parasitic, herbivorous, algae-eating and predatory species. The vine snail likes to eat fresh leaves, which is why it is considered a pest of gardens.
The Helenka snail is carnivorous - it hunts mainly for shrimps, fish and other snails. Helenka's snail breeders can feed it with water insects, shrimps or invertebrates. This species of snail is unlikely to be found in the garden or on the flower bed.
The water snail is a connoisseur of small algae, water leaves of vascular plants or decaying plant remains. Some water snails are predatory and hunt live animals, e.g. snails, coelenterants. Others, on the other hand, are satisfied with the carrion of molluscs, crustaceans and fish. Most of this type of snails live in the sea, so the probability of meeting them in the garden is negligible.
Snails without a shell eat young shoots of plants, strawberries, carrots or raspberries. They eat holes in roots and leaves, damage plants in the garden or on the flower bed.
Snail repellent plants
We know that we do not want snails to appear in our garden. We can prevent this at the very beginning of the season, when planning what will be in our garden. It is worth betting on plants that will not be an easy bait for pests, on the contrary - they will effectively scare them away.
Snails can most often be found among such garden, vegetable and orchard plants as: marigolds, zinnias, Chinese asters, garden marshmallows, dahlias, nasturtiums, rudbeckia, hostas, white lilies, raspberries, strawberries, wild strawberries, head cabbage, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, carrots and beets.
One way out may be to give up planting this type of plants. However, not all of us want such beautiful flowers to suddenly disappear from the garden, and delicious fruit from the orchard. In this case, near the places where snails gather, we can plant soapwort, marjoram or thyme, which effectively deter snails. In addition, it does not hurt to use mugwort, wormwood, chamomile, garden savory, mustard, sage, hyssop, thyme, yarrow, lady's mantle, hibiscus, onion, hellebore or crocus.
The market also meets the needs of gardeners and offers many interesting plant varieties that are devoid of their specific features that attract snails. An example is a marigold variety without its characteristic smell, a funky with thick leaves or a resistant variety of red cabbage.
Law and order the way to snails
There is no doubt that snails like shady and damp corners, where they can easily hide among leaves and tall grasses, or even bury themselves in plant debris or compost. An effective way to scare them away is the systematic weeding of weeds in flowerbeds, especially nettles, frequent mowing of the lawn and removal of plant debris on an ongoing basis. Also, a composter is not a good idea, because it is a real command center for the staff of snails. A great idea, the implementation of which will reduce the size of the snail population, is the systematic ventilation of the soil. Hoeing and frequent raking brings snail eggs to the surface, which die extremely quickly in the sun. To sum up - the less weeds, crevices, furrows and corridors in the soil, the less favorable the conditions for the development of snails.
Barriers to stop snails
Protecting individual plants from snails may consist in placing obstacles around them to prevent snails from getting to the treat. This type of specimens can be covered with bark, pine needles, broken egg shells, sawdust, gravel, barley husks or dust from the fireplace. Thanks to the barrier created in this way, snails will not be able to break through, for example, to funkia. This method is also very humane, because snails do not hurt themselves on such a barrier. It is also worth improving this barrier, especially after rains or strong winds, because its effectiveness may decrease.
Other barriers, more deadly for snails, include sprinkling entire beds or vegetable patches with unslaked lime or superphosphate. They are extremely corrosive and cause immediate dehydration in snails. However, this method requires a lot of attention. Lime must not get near the plants, as it will also damage them.
Copper is another effective remedy for snails. One of the best, but also one of the more expensive. If we do not complain about the lack of funds, it is enough to surround the beds or flower beds with copper edging. Copper is great at repelling snails. In addition, it is worth investing in electric bands that will limit access to plants. These are ready-made devices, usually powered by a battery or accumulator. It is important that the wires are placed low to the ground or directly on the ground to act on the slugs.
A good idea that deserves the attention of gardeners is to mulch the soil around the plants. In addition to the materials listed above, you can also use coarse sand, grit, brick flour, reed chaff or dolomite fines.
Effective snail traps
During the day, snails often gather under various pieces of rubble, boards or stones. These hiding places can be used for effective traps. It is enough to put a piece of bait under the boards or stones, e.g. cabbage leaves, pieces of potatoes or carrot slices. In addition, we put a piece of black foil or agrotextile (approximately 50 x 50 cm) on the cold, wet ground and cover the whole thing with a sheet of felt and aluminum foil. The trap constructed in this way should be attached to the ground with metal pins. A similar trap can be a pot placed upside down, preferably in white.
Another type of traps are decoy traps. Beer is an effective remedy. Just dig a large hole in the ground, put an open container in it and fill it with beer. This is a phenomenal lure for snails. There must be enough liquid for the snails to drown in it. Another product that perfectly attracts snails is grapefruit. It is enough to put half of a hollowed grapefruit on the ground, preferably in the evening, and in the morning collect snails and take them away from the garden or kill them.
Snail traps, also very effective, can be natural enemies of these pests. In order for them to help us get rid of these creatures, we must provide them with favorable conditions for development. In the garden, it is enough to prepare nesting boxes or keep wild nooks and thickets conducive to their development.
Snail-fighting chemicals
There are many really effective snail remedies on the market. Some of them have been designed to be scattered between flowerbeds or flower beds. In this way, we will prevent snails from getting to specific plants. Some snail remedies are rainproof, others are not. We must always be careful that the preparations do not get into the planted plants. In addition, they should be used with caution and in moderation, because they are highly toxic preparations that destroy soil fauna and aquatic organisms.
Stores also offer safer preparations that contain, for example, parasitic nematodes. These products are available in powder or liquid form. They are used to spray the surface of the soil or mix with it. The use of this preparation requires that the soil be irrigated for a week or two, so that the nematodes do not die. Snails that have been attacked by nematodes quickly lose energy, stop providing themselves with food, and after a few days they bury themselves in the ground and die.
Other methods for snails
If we have few of them in the garden, it is enough to take a walk around it and collect the pests in a bucket. Then take them out or take them very far from our plot. It is an effective and humane method.
An interesting home remedy for snails is spraying the plants with diluted coffee. Its aroma is not a snail's favourite.
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