8 Plants Ants Don't Like : [ With Facts ]

Insects, especially ants, are the most common (not to forget annoying) part of our gardens. Ants somehow manage to find a way around or inside a pot despite all our efforts to keep them away.

If you, too, face the problems of ants inside your house (because you are an indoor plant fanatic), you might want to change the contents of the pot.

That’s right, and some plants repel ants. So, you do not have to worry about keeping the ants away; you need to think about watering the plants on time.

Plants that repel ants

You might be wondering how some plants can drive ants away. Well, the answer is through their scent. Ants communicate with the sense of smell.

Some plants might draw these insects towards them by smell, while some push them away.

So, your best bet against ants is to pot the plants that are good at keeping them far away from your garden. Some of the plants hated by the ant community are:

1. Lavender

Lavender is a herb that is helpful in several conditions like anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Repelling the ants is just the icing on the cake.

Not to forget, it is pleasing for the eyes and nose. The purple beauty is an excellent addition to your garden if you are looking to avoid ants.

Lavender plants are generally too big to be indoors, but that does not make it any less of a decorative plant.

You can use lavender as an indoor plant if you take proper care. It requires a lot of bright sunlight and a good breeze.

If the spot is not breezy enough, you can consider placing the pot in front of a small table fan. If everything goes well, the plant has good growth and might need to be split or placed in a bigger pot after some time.

This plant serves several purposes- it provides a soothing aroma, is very pleasing to the eyes, has medical benefits, and drives away the ants.

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2. Rosemary

Rosemary is also an herb that makes a beautiful ornamental plant and has a lot of uses in the kitchen. It does not have a powerful smell, but it is still enough to drive the ants away.

Rosemary is not the easiest plant to nurture if you are a beginner in the gardening world.

In warm climates, rosemary can grow easily without a lot of hassle. However, in cold climates, it needs to be planted in the spring after the soil is a little warm.

The three most important things to keep in mind before growing a rosemary plant are- sun, good drainage, and proper air circulation.

If you are growing it indoors, make sure the plant gets six to eight hours of full sunlight every day. Do not overwater it and avoid making the soil soggy as this might make the roots of the plant rot.

Re-pot the rosemary plant at least once a year as the soil in the pot degenerates because of continuous watering and root growth. Keeping all these things in mind will give you an adequately grown rosemary plant to admire.

3. Mint

Mint is again an herb and a pretty common ingredient in the kitchen. It has several benefits for hair, skin, and overall health.

There are several varieties of mint- sweet mint, spearmint, peppermint, and chocolate mint. It has a strong fragrance that can uplift your mood instantly as well as repel the ants.

This plant rapidly spreads when planted directly on the ground and covers a large area. If you want to limit the growth, you can plant them in a pot.

If you are planting them in the pots, use a spot with access to four to six hours of indirect sunlight.

Although they can survive in direct sunlight as well, this dries out the soil quicker than usual. You need to water the plant as soon as the upper layer of the soil appears dry.

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4. Thyme

Thyme is another helpful herb that is famous for its culinary purposes. It is also a plant that keeps the ants away apart from providing aesthetic services.

There are many available varieties of thyme, each one having a different color and scent. Thyme can also grow nicely in indirect light, but the scent is stronger in direct sunlight.

Thyme plant does not require excess water to prosper. Thyme plants might die in overly wet soils. So, make sure you water the pot only when the soil has completely dried out.

You can prevent your plant from having soggy roots by planting them in a ceramic pot that allows the moisture to evaporate quickly. Make sure that this plant does not get too cold as well.

5. Catnip

While catnip might be attractive to the feline community, it does not offer anything to the ants. It is an herb of the mint family, and we can find it in food and herbal remedies.

If you plan to grow the catnip for your cat or yourself, you should know that it also helps keep away the ants. You can grow it in your garden as well as in a pot inside your house.

This plant thrives in full sun as well as partial shade. They do not require a lot of watering, so they do good in sunny, dry areas, which is unsuitable for many other plants.

They can grow in almost all soil types as long as their roots are not constantly submerging in water. They need well-drained soil to grow properly—only water when the soil is completely dried.

6. Tansy

This plant is known as a weed in several parts of the world. Tansy is an invasive plant, so most people prefer not to grow it.

But it does have some advantages. It repels some insects, including ants, as well as attracts an important insect- the ladybug.

As it is a kind of weed, it is fairly effortless to grow it and take care of it. It performs best in full or partial sun but not in prolonged heat and high temperatures.

This plant can practically survive all types of soil. It does not need regular watering as well. Tansy can survive drought-like conditions also.

7. Marigolds

These plants might not be helpful in the kitchen or serve as herbal medicine, but they sure are a treat for the eyes.

If you need a color pop in your gardens, marigolds are the right choice. Apart from this, these plants also keep your garden free from ants. It is best to grow this plant outside in the garden rather than inside your homes.

These plants do their best in full sunlight and can easily withstand scorching summers. It is a tremendous advantage over several other plants which dry out in hot temperatures.

These plants might be prone to mildew if planted in cold and shady areas. So, if you are using them as indoor plants, make sure to provide them enough sun.

8. Sage

Sage is also an herb, and its leaves come into use to make medicines. It comes in handy for culinary purposes but not all its varieties.

The most popular kitchen sage is Salvia officinalis. It is a beautiful ornamental plant with greyish leaves and colorful flowers. It is quite helpful in keeping away the annoying ants that keep coming back.

You should plant Sage in full sun. The soil should be well-drained as this plant does not do well in wet soil.

During the growing period, water the plant regularly, ensuring they do not dry out. These plants need consistent moisture until they start growing rapidly.

Using these plants is an environmentally friendly (and mood uplifting) way of keeping the ants at bay.

But sometimes, just the plants are not enough to stop the ants from settling down in your garden rent-free (but hassle-full).

It would help if you took some other drastic measures to protect your garden and home from the ant invasion. Some of the things that might help you are:

Cayenne pepper: If you can find the home of the ants, just spread some cayenne pepper at the entry. It will prevent ants from coming out of the hole. After this, you can pour the cayenne pepper water over the anthill, which will kill the ants inside it and make the anthill uninhabitable.
Cinnamon: This has not only a powerful smell but also a powerful effect on ants. You can spread it over the soil to deter ants from the gardens.
Lemon juice: Diluted lemon juice can also prove helpful when you want the ants to go away from your garden. You can use it along with cinnamon to provide extra protection. Lemon juice leaves a scent behind to deflect the future ants.
Vinegar: Like lemon juice, you can also use vinegar to achieve the same purpose. However, this remedy might be a little too harsh on the leaves of the plants you wish to protect. Make sure the vinegar is diluted and use as little as possible.
Black pepper: This is also an effective remedy in keeping away the ants from your garden. You can either directly spread it on the soil or mix it with water and spray it on the plant. However, it might also prove to be too harsh on some of the plants. It is advised you test these in a small part of the garden before using them for the entire area.

Conclusion

With a bunch of flowers, comes a colony of ants. Now you need not worry about those lines of ants covering up precious areas of your garden or leaves of your favorite plants.

With the ant repelling plants listed above and the ant repelling remedies listed after them, you worry about taking care of your precious plants.