Garden owners often ask themselves what food snails prefer. After all, snails can destroy the plants in the garden and eat the beloved vegetables.

In a nutshell

  • The so-called slugs are voracious pests
  • Snails prefer to take care of garden waste
  • an exception is the cannibalistic tiger slug
  • Fighting the snails should be done gently

Differences between slugs and slugs

When it comes to the question of which food snails prefer in the garden, a distinction must be made between slugs and slugs. The slugs are omnivores that endanger all plants. In contrast, the snails are the more harmless variant. They prefer to take care of the garden waste.

The slugs

Nudibranchs have no or a greatly reduced shell. This group includes numerous species of snails. A small number of these slugs are known garden pests. However, they prefer to eat the following things:

  • salad
  • potatoes
  • fruit vegetables
  • fruit
  • horseradish
  • young flowers
  • cabbage

The snails

In contrast, the snails carry their house on their backs, into which they can withdraw. The snails tend to take care of the garden waste and thus do not pose a major threat to the plant life. Preferred foods are the following:

  • rotten fruit
  • cadaver
  • decomposed plant remains
  • withered leaves
  • rotten grass

Exception: tiger slug (Limax maximus)

The tiger slug is a special type of slug. This grows 10-20 centimeters in size and is widespread throughout Europe. The light yellow, irregular pattern is a typical identifying feature. However, the appearance of the tiger slug differs from all other snail species. The same applies to nutrition. Finally, the tiger slug does not feed on fruit and vegetable plants, but cannibalistic. The snail species eats the eggs of other snails and even whole specimens.

Source: 4028mdk09, Great tiger slug Limax maximus Nordbaden June 2012, Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Tip: The tiger slug can help fight a plague of snails in a natural way.

food in winter

Falling temperatures in autumn make it more difficult for the snails to find food. Before winter sets in, the pests will crawl off your property. Only in spring do slugs and slugs reappear to continue enjoying fruit, flowers and the like. The slugs bury those soil layers that remain frost-free. There they hibernate, since the cold would mean the death of the animals. Snails cannot crawl into the ground. So they decide to search for protected niches.

Notice: The snails crawl into a protected niche in their house and then close it with a layer of lime.

These plants do not eat snails

Many home and garden owners find that snails destroy pretty much everything in the garden. However, there are some plant species that are not on the menu of the different snail species. Snails do not eat plants that contain various bitter substances and essential oils. Plants have developed this protective mechanism to keep snails at bay. At the same time, hairy and thick leaves are a suitable defense mechanism against snails. The following types of vegetables, herbs and flowers are accordingly spared from the voracious pests.

Vegetables:

  • artichoke
  • Chicory
  • garlic
  • chard
  • radish
  • asparagus
  • onion

Herbs:

  • goose cress
  • chamomile
  • peppermint
  • oregano
  • sage
  • thyme
  • lemon balm

Flower:

  • cyclamen
  • begonia
  • Nasturtium
  • lavender
  • sea lavender

Snails eat lettuce

The salad is particularly popular on the slugs' menu. Basically, lettuce is a hardy plant that is easy to grow. After all, the only danger for lettuce grown at home are the voracious snails, which attack the lettuce bed in no time at all.

Tip: A snail fence is particularly effective. Place this around the lettuce bed in the summer season to protect your harvest.

frequently asked Questions

What natural predators are there?

The natural fight against the plague of snails succeeds with natural predators. The hedgehog in particular loves to eat snails. In addition, garden owners can settle frogs in the pond that eat snails. The voracious animals are on the menu for numerous bird species such as the blackbird.

Can I just collect the snails?

Fighting snails with poison and deadly traps is not recommended. Gentle procedures are the means of choice. Consequently, you can easily collect the snails in the garden. Be sure to release the snails several hundred meters from the garden. They then look for another habitat.

How do snails feed in the forest?

Snails adapt perfectly to their living conditions. In the forest, the slugs eat green plants with young leaves. Sometimes algae, lichen or fungi are also on the menu.

Category:

Garden pests