🐌 Snail Beans (Snail Beans) | The Complete Guide to Growing and Caring
📋 Quick summary - everything you need to know at a glance
Full sun
6+ hours a day
Medium-multiple
Keep hydrated
easy
Very fast growth!
Summer-Autumn
July-October
Up to 4-6 meters
Vigorous climber!
Sensitive to frost
Minimum 10°C
🌱 Introduction to snail beans
Naming and identification
- Hebrew name: snail bean, snail bean
- Scientific name: Vigna caracalla (synonym: Cochliasanthus caracalla)
- English names: Snail Vine, Corkscrew Vine, Snail Flower, Snail Bean
- Family: Legumes (Fabaceae)
- Type: Perennial/Annual Herbaceous Climber
Origin and background
Native to tropical South and Central America (Venezuela, Brazil). Thomas Jefferson called it "the most beautiful bean in the world" !
Unique features
- 🐌 Snail-shaped flowers: a spectacular spiral!
- 💐 Stunning scent: similar to hyacinth or jasmine
- 🚀 Rapid growth: up to 30 cm per day in summer!
- 🦋 Attracts butterflies and bees
- 🏠 Climbing cover: fences, pergolas, walls
The colors of the flowers
The flowers open white and change to lavender-purple and then to creamy yellow . Flowers of all shades can be seen on the plant at the same time!
✨ Why choose snail beans?
Unique flowers
Spectacular snail/spiral shape
Very fragrant
Hyacinth/Jasmine fragrance
Rapid growth
Fast coverage of fences!
Easy to grow
No significant pests
Attracts pollinators
Butterflies and bees
Changing colors
White→Purple→Yellow
🐌 The special flowers - the star of the show!
The flowers of the snail bean are among the most spectacular in the plant world!
What is special about them?
- 🐌 Snail/Spiral Shape: The petals are curled like a shell!
- 📏 Size: Approximately 5 cm (2 inches) per flower
- 🌺 Clusters: Grow in clusters of up to 30 cm.
- 💐 Scent: A sweet, strong scent like hyacinth, jasmine, or magnolia
- 📢 Smell range: noticeable from up to 5 meters away!
Step 1
White (bud)
Step 2
Purple-lavender
Step 3
Cream-yellow
🌤️ Detailed growing conditions
☀️ Light
Light requirement: Full sun for maximum flowering!
- ✅ Ideal: 6-8 hours of direct sun per day
- ⚡ Minimum: 4 hours (less flowers)
- 🏠 Recommended location: warm south or west wall
- ☀️ Heat-loving: thrives in the Israeli summer!
💧 Irrigation
Key principle: Snail beans like constant moisture but not flooding.
Irrigation schedule:
1-2 times a week
(More on hot days)
Once a week
As needed
(Only if the plant is active)
🌍 Land
Snail beans are not picky! They are suitable for most soil types.
- ✅ Recommended: Rich, moist, well-drained soil
- ✅ High-quality planting medium with compost
- ✅ pH: 6.0-7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- ✅ Add perlite to improve drainage
- ⚠️ Avoid heavy, flooded soil
🌡️ Temperature
The snail bean is a tropical plant that loves heat!
18-30°C (65-85°F)
10-15°C (50-60°F)
Frost damage!
Up to -6°C (short term)
Can regrow from the roots
- Center and South: Perennial (evergreen)
- North and mountains: can freeze in winter, will return in spring from the roots
- Cold areas: Grow in a pot and bring inside in winter
🧱 Support and grid - a must!
The snail bean is a climber! It needs support to climb it.
🏗️ Support options
- 🌿 Trellis
- 🏠 Chain link fence
- ⛩️ Pergola/Arbor
- 🧱 Grid on wall
- 🪢 Threads or ropes
⚡ Rapid growth!
- 🚀 Rate: Up to 30 cm per day in summer!
- 📏 Height: 4-6 meters (up to 10 meters!)
- 📅 Time: Fence cover within months
- ⚠️ Requires pruning for control
💡 Tips
- Plant near the support
- Adjust the young stems
- The plant twists itself!
- You can weave by hand at first.
🪴 Growing in a pot
Snail beans can also be grown in pots - especially in cold areas where they need to be brought inside in the winter.
🏺 Flowerpot size
- Minimum: 30-40 liters
- Recommended: 50+ liters
- Deep to the roots
- Good drainage holes!
📍 Location
- Sun terrace
- Near a grate or lattice
- Protected from strong winds
- Bring it inside in the cold winter
❄️ Winter in a pot
- Put it in a bright room.
- Near a south window
- Reduce watering
- Take it outside in spring (above 15°C)
🧪 Fertilization
Like most legumes, snail beans fix nitrogen in their roots and therefore do not need excessive fertilization.
Recommended types of fertilizer:
- ✅ Fertilizer for flowering plants (low in nitrogen, rich in phosphorus and potassium)
- ✅ Recommended ratio: 5-10-5 or similar
- ✅ Organic fertilizers (compost, compost tea)
- ❌ Don't overdo it! Too much nitrogen = lots of leaves, few flowers
Fertilization schedule:
Every 3-4 weeks
(Growth period)
Stop fertilizing
(The plant enters dormancy)
Do not fertilize
(rest period)
✂️ Pruning - Important!
Snail beans grow very quickly and require regular pruning to control them!
⏰ When to prune?
- 📅 Main pruning: Late winter/early spring (before new growth)
- ✂️ Pruning for control: throughout the growing season, as needed
- 🌸 During flowering: remove wilted flowers to encourage additional flowering
- ❄️ After frost: Removing frost-damaged parts
✂️ How to trim?
- Remove dead and weak branches
- Prune above a joint to encourage branching.
- Can be shortened to half the height
- Maintain a controlled form
🌿 Multiplication
Snail beans reproduce easily from both seeds and cuttings!
🌱 Propagation from seeds
- Soak the seeds in warm water overnight.
- Or rub lightly with sandpaper (scrap)
- Sow 2.5 cm deep in moist soil.
- Temperature: 20-30°C (70-85°F)
- Germination: 10-20 days
- Transfer to a larger pot or soil when there are 2-3 true leaves.
✂️ Multiple cuttings
- Take a 15 cm long cutting in spring.
- Remove the lower leaves.
- Dip in rooting hormone
- Plant in moist perlite
- Cover with a plastic bag.
- Rooting within 2-3 weeks
🔧 Common problems and solutions
Good news! Snail beans are considered a very hardy plant with few pests and diseases.
😔 No rash
Reasons:
- Lack of sun
- Too much nitrogen (fertilizer)
- Plant too young
Solution: Move to full sun, stop fertilizing with nitrogen.
🟡 Yellow leaves
Reasons:
- Over/under watering
- Poor drainage
- Lack of fertilization
Solution: Check drainage and adjust watering.
🥶 Cold damage
Signs:
- Black or soft leaves
- Withered stems
Solution: Prune away damaged parts. The plant usually regrows from the roots in the spring!
🌿 Excessive growth
The problem:
- Takes over other plants
- Spreading everywhere
Solution: Prune regularly! This is a vigorous plant that requires control.
🐛 Pests (rare)
Snail beans are very resistant to pests , but sometimes:
Can appear sometimes.
Solution: Potassium soap, neem oil, water jet
In a dry climate.
Solution: Spray water, increase humidity
✅ Safety and pets
Great news! According to the ASPCA, snail beans are non-toxic to dogs and cats!
Dogs
Non-toxic
Cats
Non-toxic
The seeds
Edible (cooked)!
📅 Snail Bean Calendar
- Main pruning
- Planting/sowing
- Starting fertilization
- Propagation from cuttings
- Rapid growth!
- Installing supports
- Regular watering
- Monthly fertilization
- rash!
- Enjoying the smell
- Pruning for control
- Seed collection
- End of flowering
- Reducing irrigation
- Fertilization cessation
- Winter preparation
- Rest/Sleep
- Minimal watering
- Frost protection (if needed)
- Bringing pots inside
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Depends on the climate! In warm areas (central and southern Israel) - perennial. In colder areas - may freeze in winter but regrow from the roots in spring, or grow as an annual.
Very fast! Under ideal conditions, can grow up to 30 cm in summer! Covers a fence or trellis in just a few months.
Very! The scent is similar to hyacinth, jasmine or magnolia. You can smell it from 4-5 meters away!
Yes, be careful! Under ideal conditions, the plant grows very quickly and can take over neighboring plants. Prune regularly and check to make sure it doesn't spread to neighboring yards.
There is some confusion between the two plants. Vigna caracalla (snail bean) is the one with the fragrant flowers that change color. Beware of confusion with Phaseolus giganteus which is more invasive.
📊 Summary table
| category | Details |
|---|---|
| ☀️ Light | Full sun (6+ hours) |
| 💧 Irrigation | Medium-multiple, constant humidity |
| 🌍 Land | Rich, well-drained, pH 6.0-7.0 |
| 🌡️ Temperature | 18-30°C, minimum 10°C |
| 📏 Size | 4-6 meters (up to 10 meters!) |
| 🌸 Blossom | Summer-Fall (July-October) |
| 💐 Smell | Very strong! Hyacinth/Jasmine |
| 📊 Difficulty level | Easy - very fast growth! |
| ✅ Safety | Non-toxic to pets |
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The guide was written by the Deco Garden team of experts.