How to get rid of ants in the garden without killing plants?

Having a garden to sit in, gossiping with family, and sipping tea during sunset is bliss. But if ants live in your garden, too, it can blemish your perfect evening. Having ants in the garden is not always a problem, but it can lead to one.

To most people spotting ants in the garden can be a big disaster. And for people with a soft side for these little pests, it's not that bad; according to them, having ants in the garden is good as ants make the soil more fertile and suitable for soil drainage by digging deep.

Having ants in the garden can be good or bad both. They can destroy the beauty of your garden and spoil your lovely evening by biting you and making it difficult for you to sit there. So we should eliminate them before they make colonies and turn your evening and garden care into a natural disaster.

But are you someone who is frightened to use pesticides and ant control chemicals because they can also vandalize your plants with ants? Searching for some solution to destroy ants but not at the cost of your plant's health.

You have reached the right place and can stop searching further. Then let's start discussing techniques or methods to eliminate ants and protect the plants and garden beauty.

How to kill ants without harming plants?

We have already talked about how ants can save or destroy your garden. But when they started being troublesome, we should terminate them immediately.

Diatomaceous earth

It is the best natural and organic technique to eliminate ants without harming the garden. In addition, the diatomaceous earth is composed of minerals, so it can fertilize the ground as an advantage for ending the ants.

Diatomaceous earth is made of diatoms, an algae species found in water. It comes in the form of talcum powder. To use a diatomaceous world, you only need to spread this powder on ants, especially in infested areas.

Diatomaceous earth works on the dehydration process and kills ants by dehydrating them. It takes time but works well—remember to use an adequate amount of Diatomaceous Earth. And also, be sure to use food-grade Diatomaceous Earth.

Soap and water to get rid of ants

 A combination of soap and water has the best cleansing property and can clean ants in your garden. Make the spray by mixing soap and water, and spray it on the ant nest and ants' trails. You can also drop some amount of spray in ant nests.

Note: Use a biodegradable soap for this mixture; other soap can also harm the grass.

Pepper and peppermint to kill ants

Crush some red pepper flex properly and mix it with either peppermint essential oil or dehydrated peppermint. Sprinkle or spray the mixture on ant trails and nests. It will irritate the ants and force them to change their place.

Orange peels to kill ants

Ants feed on fungi; if they don't find it, they look for it elsewhere and change their place. And the orange peels hold some organic compounds which are toxic to fungi and don't let fungi develop.

So whenever you eat oranges, don't just throw their peels; instead, collect them and place them near ant nests or trails. Also, put some orange peels where you think fungi can develop.

There is also orange peel spray or fungicide available in the market, but nothing can beat using pure things such as orange peels. You can also make orange peel spray yourself if you find spray easier than orange peels.

Borax and sugar combination

A mixture of borax and sugar is one of the most influential and best working remedies to get rid of ants in one week. Mix borax and sugar to make a gel-like paste to assemble this compound, and drop this combination near ant nests and trails.

Worker ants will attract sugar, eat it, and take it to the queen in the nest. Then, borax (Boric acid) will kill the ants quickly.

Using borax is entirely safe for plants, but it is a little harmful to kids and pets. So make sure to keep it out of the reach of children and pets. Or you can place it at night and clean it in the morning.

Note: Whether using gel will work or not depends on the ant type. Worker ants search for food during the night (between sunset and midnight). 

Do remember ants have a crucial role in plants' ecosystems, so wholly removing ants from your garden or lawn might have a negative effect too. You do not let ants make colonies or infestations in the park.

Also, Read - What is organic pest control?