Do you have ants in your plant soil? How to Get Rid of Them (Safely!)

Have you seen a busy highway of ants going straight to your favorite potted plant? Or maybe an entire ant colony has moved into the soil of your garden bed? A lot of gardeners see this a lot, and it can make them feel a little anxious. You could be worried that they’re hurting your plants and, more importantly, how to get rid of ants in the soil without making things worse.

Yes, you can securely and effectively get these unwanted guests to leave, so you may relax. Ants don’t usually hurt healthy plants directly, but their presence might occasionally mean that something else is wrong or that they are a problem in and of themselves. This post will help you figure out why ants like the soil in your plants and give you a number of safe and practical ways to get rid of them. Let’s get your plants to grow well without these little marchers, okay?

Why are ants moving into the soil of my plant?

It’s important to know why ants might be living in your plant’s soil before we talk about how to get rid of them. From their point of view, ants are usually doing it for a good reason, and it’s not usually to eat your plant’s leaves or roots.

Here are some of the most common reasons why ants go into your plant’s soil:

• Nesting Site: Ants love to live in plant pots, raised beds, and even loose garden soil. These places are safe, have a steady temperature and moisture level, and are frequently not disturbed. Certain types of ants really like to build their nests in dry, sandy, or well-drained soil. Sometimes, the way the root ball is built makes it easy to find tunnels and chambers.
• Farming Other Pests (The Big One!): This happens a lot. Ants really like honeydew, which is a sugary material that they use their antennae to find. Aphids, mealybugs, scale insects, and whiteflies are some of the sap-sucking insects that make this honeydew. If you see ants walking up and down your plant, they are probably “farming” these pests by shielding them from predators in exchange for a steady supply of honeydew. Always check your plants very carefully for these other pests if you have ants. The ants are basically protecting their “livestock,” which makes honeydew.
• A Good Source of Food: Ants may be drawn to different food sources near or in your plants, in addition to honeydew. This could be food that has spilled (particularly sugary things if plants are near outdoor dining areas), other dead bugs, or even sugary fluids that the plant makes itself, such nectar from flowers.
• Moisture Levels: Varied types of ants like varied amounts of moisture. Some like soil that is always damp, maybe because it makes it easier to dig tunnels or because it provides a reliable source of water. If the garden soil gets too wet after a lot of rain, some plants might relocate into drier container soil.
• Protection from Bad Weather: Sometimes, ants will go for shelter in your plant pots or garden beds when the weather outside is too hot, cold, or dry.

It’s important to know what these reasons are since the best approach to get rid of ants for good is frequently to deal with the root cause of the problem, which is usually an infestation of honeydew-producing pests.

Looking at the Ant Problem and Taking Some (Gentle) Action

Before you reach for any strong medicines, take a time to do some sleuthing. A little observation can help you figure out the best way to handle a situation, and occasionally it can even fix the problem with very little help.

Look at how the ants act:

• Where are they coming from and where are they going? Do their tracks start at a gap in the pavement, another plant, or do they look like they’re coming straight out of the soil of the plant that’s affected?
• Are they holding anything? They might be carrying bits of food or, more importantly, small white aphid “babies” (nymphs) or even the aphids themselves to new places to eat.
• How big is the group? A few wayward ants are not the same as a busy city.

Check Your Plants Carefully Again:

• You really need to look closely for aphids, mealybugs, scale, or whiteflies. Look at the fresh, soft growth on the stems, the undersides of the leaves, and where the leaves meet the stem. If you notice these bugs that suck sap, you need to get rid of them right away. If you get rid of their “honeydew cows,” the ants will usually lose interest and move on.

Look at the pot, saucer, and the area around it:

• Lift the pot for potted plants. Are there ants living under it or in the openings for drainage?
• Is there trash, spilled potting mix, or standing water in the plant saucer that could be drawing them in or giving them a way to get there?
• Check the base of plants that are in the ground for apparent nest entrances.

First, gentle deterrents and actions:

You can try these easy first steps once you know more about what’s going on:

• Disturb the Nest (Carefully, if Visible and Small): If you can see a small, shallow ant nest on the surface of the soil, gently disturbing the top inch or two with a hand trowel or stick can sometimes be enough to move them and get a smaller, less established colony to move.
• Strategic Watering: If the soil has been dry for a long time and you think ants are nesting there because of it, watering the plant thoroughly (if that plant type can handle it) can drown out shallow nests or just make the area less desirable. On the other hand, if the soil is always wet and attracting specific types of ants, letting it dry out more between waterings might help.
• Relocate Potted Plants (If Possible): Sometimes the best thing to do for a potted plant is to transfer it to a different place altogether. This can break up ant trails that have already been made and confuse them sufficiently that they leave the pot. This is especially true if their main colony is somewhere else and they were merely utilizing the pot as a base.
• Pick Up! Get rid of anything that could be food for your plants, like fallen fruit, dead bugs, or sticky stuff on pots or saucers.

These first steps, especially if they are done along with getting rid of any pests that suck sap, can sometimes make a little ant problem much less serious or even get rid of it completely without having to take harder measures.

Your Guide to Plant Soil That Is Free of Ants (Natural and Chemical Methods)

If gentle disturbances and cleaning up haven’t worked, or if you have a bigger ant colony, you should think about more direct ways to get rid of them from the soil of your plants. We’ll start with natural and organic treatments because they are usually better for your plants, helpful bugs, and the whole garden ecology.

Natural and organic ways to get rid of ants in the soil:

These strategies focus on using things that are better for the environment.

• Soil Drench with Soap That Kills Bugs:
  • How it Works: Insecticidal soap kills by touching. It acts by breaking down the exterior cell membranes of soft-bodied bugs like ants, which makes them lose water.
  • You can buy insecticidal soap that is ready to use, or you can create your own by combining 1–2 tablespoons of mild liquid dish soap (select one without degreasers, strong scents, or antibacterial ingredients; pure castile soap is a fine choice) into 1 quart (approximately 1 liter) of water. Soak the ground around the plant roots where the ants are busy very well. The ants need to touch the solution directly for it to work.
  • Pros: When diluted right, it’s pretty safe for plants and breaks down quickly.
  • Disadvantages: It only kills ants that it comes into direct contact with, and you may need to use it more than once. If you spray it on leaves in the blazing sun, it can sometimes burn them, but this isn’t as big of a problem with a soil drench.
• Neem Oil Soil Drench:
  • How it works: Neem oil comes from the neem tree and works in a number of ways. It can keep insects away, stop them from eating, and stop them from growing and reproducing.
  • Use: Buy a neem oil product made for gardens and follow the directions on the label carefully to mix it for a soil drench. Put it on the ground as advised.
  • Pros: It’s organic and has systemic characteristics in some formulations (the plant absorbs it). When it dries, it’s usually safe for beneficials.
  • Cons: It smells bad and could take longer to work than contact killers.
• Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade):
  • How it Works: Diatomaceous earth (DE) is made up of the fossilized remains of microscopic water-dwelling creatures called diatoms. Their tiny, sharp blades puncture the waxy outer layer of an ant’s exoskeleton, which dries them out and kills them. Use food-grade DE instead of pool-grade DE, which has chemicals in it that are bad for you if you breathe them in.
  • How to use: Lightly sprinkle a thin coating of DE on the dry soil surrounding your plants or make a barrier around pots. You may also work it into the top inch of soil. When dry, DE works best. It doesn’t work as well when it’s wet, so you’ll need to put it on again after it rains or waters.
  • Pros: It’s natural and works as a dry barrier.
  • Disadvantages: It needs to stay dry, and the dust might be annoying if you breathe it in (use a mask while applying).
• Cinnamon:
  • How it Works: People commonly say that ground cinnamon keeps ants away. Some people say that ants don’t like walking over it and that it can mess up their smell trails.
  • Use: Generously sprinkle ground cinnamon on the soil around plants or right on top of ant trails.
  • Pros: Safe; smells good to people!
  • Cons: It might not always work, and you might have to apply it again and again.
• Peels from citrus fruits and coffee grounds:
  • How it Works: Some gardeners say that spreading citrus peels (particularly orange or lemon) or old coffee grounds on the ground works as an ant repellant. People think that the strong smells will keep them away.
  • Use: Put little pieces of citrus peel or dry coffee grounds around plants that are affected.
  • Pros: Uses things that would otherwise go to trash; safe.
  • Cons: Effectiveness is based on stories and can change; may need to be refreshed often.
• Good Nematodes:
  • How it Works: These tiny worms live in the ground and are natural parasites of some insect pests, like ant larvae and pupae.
  • Use: Bought as a live product, combined with water, and then put on the ground. Best for big outside spaces or garden beds that keep having difficulties.
  • Pros: It’s natural, only goes after certain pests, and is safe for plants, pets, and people.
  • Cons: Needs certain levels of moisture and temperature in the soil; it could take a while to get going and produce results.
• Boiling Water (USE WITH EXTREME CAUTION—OUTDOORS ONLY AND AWAY FROM PLANT ROOTS):
  • How it works: It kills ants and their colony right away when they touch it.
  • Use: This procedure should ONLY be used on ant nests that are outside, as in cracks in the pavement or on lawns, and are NOT close to the roots of any plants you want to keep. Putting hot water right on the roots of a plant will hurt or kill it badly.
  • Pros: Works right away when it touches something.
  • Cons: If used too close to roots, it can be quite harmful to plants. Use only when necessary and with great care.

Ant Baits: A Specific Way to Get Rid of Colonies

Worker ants take ant baits back to the nest, where the poison can spread to the whole colony, even the queen.

• How They Work: Baits are made up of an appealing food source (sugar, protein, or oil, depending on the type of ant and what it needs to eat right now) and a slow-acting poison. Some worker ants eat the food and carry the rest back to share, which slowly poisons the colony.
• Baits come in gels, liquids, or pre-filled bait stations. Some are made to kill certain kinds of ants.
• Placement is important: Put bait stations or gel baits along active ant paths, close to nest entrances, but NOT directly in the soil of the plant pot, where they could leak and hurt the plant. Make sure that kids and pets can’t get to the baits.
• Patience is important because baits don’t kill right away. It can take a few days to a week or two for the bait to make its way through the colony and cause a big drop in ant activity. You could even see more ants surrounding the bait at first. This is a positive indicator that they are eating it.
• Pros: Can kill the whole colony, even the queen; precise.
• Cons: Takes a long time to work; needs to be put in the right spot; must be kept away from kids and pets.

Chemical insecticides (only use them as a last resort and with great care):

If natural approaches and baits haven’t worked to get rid of a bad infestation, especially outside, you might want to think about using chemical insecticides. But these should always be a last resort because they could hurt helpful bugs, pets, and the environment.

• Types: Granular pesticides can be used on the ground (mostly outside), and liquid contact sprays can go right after ants.
• IMPORTANT SAFETY: ALWAYS read and carefully observe ALL label instructions for how much to use, safety measures (such wearing gloves and masks), and warnings about the environment.
• Risks: A lot of chemical insecticides are broad-spectrum, which means they will kill both pests and helpful insects like ladybugs and bees. This could throw off the natural balance in your garden and cause further pest problems in the future.
• Potted Plants: If you have ants in the soil of your potted plants, repotting them (see Chapter 4) is usually a safer and more effective “last resort” than putting strong chemical pesticides straight into the soil of the pot.

Always put the safety of your plants, family, pets, and helpful critters in your garden first when picking a strategy.

When to Start Over with Potted Plants That Have Ants

Repotting your plant is sometimes the best and safest way to get rid of ants, especially if they have made a deep and complicated nest in the root ball of a badly infested potted plant. This gets rid of the ants, their eggs, larvae, and house for good.

This “repotting rescue” is especially helpful if:

• The ant problem is quite bad and won’t go away even with different treatments.
• You think the ants have dug a lot of tunnels into the root ball.
• You shouldn’t use chemical treatments directly in the pot.

How to Repot to Get Rid of Ants:

1. Get Your Supplies Ready: Have a clean pot (either the original pot that has been cleansed with soap and water or a new one of the same size) and fresh, sterile potting mix ready.
2. Take the Plant Out of the Pot: Carefully slide or lift the plant out of its pot. It can help to turn the pot on its side and gently tap or squeeze it to break up the root ball.
3. Check the old soil and take it out. This is the most important stage. Try to shake off as much of the old, ant-infested dirt from the roots as you can. When you work, put down a tarp or newspaper to keep the old soil (and ants!) from getting out. You might have to use your fingers to delicately pull soil away from the roots.
4. Root Rinse (Optional, with Care): If you have a lot of ants or if the roots are firmly packed with soil and ants, you can think about gently rinsing the root ball under a gentle stream of lukewarm water. Be very careful not to hurt the roots too much. This is better for strong plants; delicate plants might not like having their roots disturbed too often.
5. Check for Ant Eggs/Larvae: While you are taking out the old soil, check the roots and any clumps of soil that are still there for little white ant eggs or larvae and try to get rid of them.
6. Clean the Pot: If you’re going to use the old pot again, wash it well with hot, soapy water to get rid of any ants, eggs, or pheromone trails that are still there. Well rinse.
7. Put a layer of new potting mix at the bottom of the clean container to repot. Put the plant in the pot, making sure that the top of the root ball is at the right level (typically about an inch below the rim of the pot). Add more fresh potting mix around the roots, and as you do, gently press it down to get rid of big air pockets.
8. Water Well: After you put the plant in a new pot, give it a good soaking till water comes out of the bottom of the pot. This helps the new soil settle around the roots.
9. Get rid of the old dirt: Put the old soil that has ants in it in a plastic bag and throw it away. This will stop the ants from moving to another part of your garden or home.

Repotting can stress a plant out for a short time, but it’s usually not as bad in the long run as having an ant colony that won’t go away or using harsh chemicals in a small container. In a pest-free environment, your plant gets a fresh start.

How to Keep Ants Out and Stop Them from Coming Back

The following step after getting rid of the ants in your plant’s soil is to make sure they don’t come back! To keep ants under control for a long time, you need to stop them from coming back.

• Keep an eye on your pests, especially sap-suckers. This is the best way to keep them from coming back. Check all of your plants, both inside and outside, for aphids, mealybugs, scale, and whiteflies on a regular basis. Take care of these pests right away if you see any signs of an infestation. Ants will have a lot less motive to stay near your plants if there isn’t a “buffet” of honeydew.
• Keep the area around plants clean:
  • Clean up any food or sugary drinks that fall right away, especially if they are near potted plants on patios or inside.
  • Get rid of dead flowers, fallen fruit, and other organic debris from the soil and around the base of plants. These things can draw ants.
  • Make sure that plant saucers are clean and don’t have any standing water or trash in them.
• Set up barriers for potted plants:
  • Elevate Pots: To raise potted plants a little bit off the ground or patio, use “pot feet” or small blocks. This produces an air gap that makes it harder for ants to get to the soil or drainage holes.
  • Sticky Barriers: Put a band of sticky stuff like Tanglefoot (which you can find at garden centers) around the outside of pots or the legs of plant stands. Ants will get stuck as they try to traverse it. Make sure the adhesive stuff doesn’t touch the plant stem directly. Apply again if it gets dirty or loses its stickiness.
  • Water Moats: You can put some pots inside a bigger saucer with a shallow layer of water in it. This makes a “moat” that ants can’t cross. Make sure the pot isn’t sitting directly in the water, since this could cause the roots to rot. You can raise the pot inside the moat with pebbles or a tiny inverted saucer.
• Make nesting sites less appealing:
  • If you know that some types of ants like to nest in dry or compacted soil, don’t let the dirt in your pots get too dry or too compacted for long periods of time.
  • Sometimes, putting a layer of rough gravel or decorative stones on top of the soil in pots can keep ants from excavating and making nests on the surface.
• Seal Entry Points (For Indoor Plants): If ants are getting into your house and bothering your houseplants, look for cracks and holes around windows, doors, baseboards, and utility entry points. Use caulk to close these gaps and stop them from getting in.

By using these preventative methods, you may greatly lower the chance of ants invading your plant soil again, making it a healthier and more serene place for your plants to grow.

In conclusion, you may get your plant soil back and enjoy plants that don’t have ants.

Finding an ant colony in the soil of your plant can be very upsetting. But as we’ve seen, it is possible to learn how to get rid of ants in plant soil with enough observation, the appropriate method, and a little bit of determination.

The first step is to figure out why the ants are there. Most of the time, they’re there to protect other pests. You may get your plant’s personal space back by dealing with any underlying infestations of aphids or mealybugs and then picking the safest and most efficient ways to get rid of ants, such a simple soil drench, strategic baiting, or a total repotting rescue for container plants. And don’t forget that prevention is key. By making your plants’ surroundings less appealing to ants over time, you can have fewer unexpected guests while you garden.

You’re not just getting rid of ants by doing these things. You’re also making the environment healthier and more balanced, which will help your plants grow. So go ahead and kick out those unwanted residents with confidence. Then you can enjoy your lovely, colorful, and ant-free plants again!

Ant Invasion FAQs: Answers to Your Quick Questions

Here are some quick responses to some typical queries concerning ants living in plant soil:

Are ants bad for my plants in any way?

No, usually not. Most types of ants don’t eat healthy plant tissue. The main damage they do is indirect:

• They raise and protect sap-sucking pests including aphids, mealybugs, and scale. These pests hurt plants by eating their sap and spreading illness.
• Sometimes, their digging and nesting in soil, especially in pots, might hurt plant roots, change how air flows through the soil, or make the soil dry up faster.
• Some species might sometimes gnaw on particularly sensitive flower buds or pick up seeds.

But the biggest worry is that they are often linked to pests that do greater harm.

If I use dish soap to kill ants in my soil, would it hurt my plants?

A diluted solution of mild dish soap is usually safe for most plants as a soil drench if you apply it the right way. Get a real soap, not a detergent, and make sure it doesn’t have bleach, degreasers, or harsh scents in it. One popular way to dilute is to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of mild liquid soap to a quart (approximately 1 liter) of water. If you’re worried about sensitivity, it’s usually a good idea to test the solution on a small, hidden section of the plant or a few leaves first. But for a soil drench, direct contact with the leaves is not very likely. You can flush the pot with plain water a day or so after the last treatment if you’re worried about soap residue building up in the soil after using it several times.

How can I tell whether an ant bait is really working?

You need to be patient with ant baits. You won’t see a quick death. In fact, you could see more ants near the bait station at first as they find the food and start bringing it back to the colony. This is a good thing! In the next few days to a week or two (depending on the size of the bait and the colony), you should start to notice a big drop in the number of ants overall. If you don’t see a big drop in the number of ants after two weeks, the bait might not be appealing to that variety of ant, or the colony might be too big and need more bait or a different kind.

Can I spray or sprinkle outside ant killer on my houseplants that are inside?

Most of the time, you shouldn’t use outdoor ant killer sprays or granules on your houseplants. Outdoor pesticides are often made for different weather conditions and might be significantly stronger. They might not have labels or be suitable for interior air quality, and their leftovers can be dangerous for people and pets in a tight space. Also, they can easily hurt delicate houseplants. Always use products that say they are safe for use inside and on or around houseplants. Repotting, using ant baits that are appropriate for indoor use and putting them away from the plant, or gently soaking the soil with insecticidal detergent are all far safer ways to deal with indoor plants.