Do snails like all basil varieties?

[amandaandherveg]

My Sweet Genovese Basil was eaten down to the ground the other week by snails. I have lots of other varieties growing in the GH that I would like to move outside to the Herb Patch. Do snails like all of basils including the more unusual ones like Lemon, Lime, Cinnamon, Spice, etc?

[Two_Sheds]

Snails will eat any soft lush growth.

What they don't like is tough woody growth.

[amandaandherveg]

Thanks TS - looks like they're staying indoors then.

[Two_Sheds]

...then the greenfly will get them

[LostGoddess]

...then the greenfly will get them

*nods*
mine are all indoors, with time outside on sunny days for good behaviour, and the whitefly are a constant battle. Ordered some encarsia formosa to tackle the problem but they are out of stock. I guess everyone's got the same problem this time of year...

[MrsC]

I have Basil in the greenhouse and on the sunny patio outside the kitchen. I never have it eaten by anything. It is in pots though, is your Basil in the ground?

[fran]

They seem to like all my varieties - even the Supermarket pot ones. I'm on my 3rd this summer having given up sowing them. The snails even get into my mini greenhouse and wolf down the seedlings! I bought a purple variety last week. Must check it before bed-time.

[maypril]

They seem to like all my varieties - even the Supermarket pot ones.

The supermarket ones are grown under lights with masses of nitrogen based fertiliser, so they grow very fast and can be sold in the shops in the quickest time, thus making the supermarket the most money. Unfortunately, the fast growth produces the sort of soft lush growth that snails love.

Snails and slugs like lush soft growth. Nitrogen fed plants provide the most lush growth. My advice would be to try growing plants without much nitrogen. They will grow much more slowly, but their growth wont be as attractive to the little molluscs.

Try growing from seed using a high potassium fertiliser. This wont stop the snails from eating the plant, but it will help the plant recover after it has been attacked. Add some mycorrhizal fungi to the soil to help the basil get strong roots to help it recover from infection.

Let me know how you get on. Basil is such a delicious herb it'd be a shame to have to go without.