Repels-All spray and granules use the same active ingredients and target the same animals, but they differ in where you apply them and how long they last. The spray works best on surfaces like plant foliage, fences, and structures, while the granules are designed for ground-level coverage across lawns, garden beds, and perimeters. Choosing between them comes down to what you’re protecting and how you want to apply it.
How Each Formulation Works
Both versions rely on natural ingredients that create a strong scent deterrent. Animals smell or taste the product and avoid the treated area. Neither formulation harms the animals, and both are biodegradable, so they won’t damage lawns, flowerbeds, or ornamental plants when used as directed.
The target list is identical for both: deer, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, rats, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs, birds, beavers, porcupines, moles, armadillos, and even cats and dogs. If your pest problem involves any of these, either formulation will work. The difference is purely about delivery method.
Where to Use the Spray
The liquid version comes as a ready-to-use spray or a concentrate you mix with water and apply using a trigger bottle or pump sprayer. Its strength is vertical and targeted coverage. You can coat plant leaves, tree trunks, fence posts, raised beds, trash cans, and the sides of sheds or outbuildings. Anywhere an animal might browse, chew, or rub, the spray can go directly on the surface.
This makes the spray the better choice when you’re trying to protect specific ornamental plants from deer browsing or keep squirrels off bird feeders and deck railings. It adheres to foliage and dries in place, creating a scent and taste barrier right where the animal makes contact.
One important limitation: you should apply the spray when temperatures are between 35 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Outside that range, it may not adhere or dry properly.
Where to Use the Granules
The granules are built for ground coverage. A 1.25-pound container treats up to 1,000 square feet, and you simply shake them out of the container. There are two main application styles:
- Broadcast treatment: Sprinkle evenly across an entire area you want to protect, like a garden bed or lawn section. For areas under 1,500 square feet, use about 1 pound per 500 square feet. For larger areas, you can spread thinner at roughly 1 pound per 834 square feet.
- Perimeter treatment: Create a barrier band 6 to 8 inches wide around the area you want to keep animals out of. This works well around vegetable gardens, flower beds, patios, pools, and campsites.
Granules also have a unique advantage for bulb protection. When planting bulbs, you can drop a tablespoon of granules into the planting hole so the product surrounds the bulb underground, deterring squirrels and chipmunks from digging them up.
After applying granules, lightly water them in if rain isn’t expected soon. This activates the scent and helps the product settle into the soil surface.
Longevity and Reapplication
The spray lasts longer on a per-application basis. Once it dries thoroughly (give it at least 6 hours before rain or watering), it resists normal rainfall and can last up to 2 months on established plants during periods of slow growth. On new or fast-growing plants, you’ll need to reapply weekly because fresh growth won’t be coated. As growth slows through the season, you can stretch reapplication intervals considerably.
Granules are more vulnerable to weather. Heavy or frequent rainfall breaks them down faster, so plan on reapplying after significant storms. For young, vulnerable plantings, the label recommends applying at the start of the growth cycle and repeating every 7 to 10 days during rapid growth, then shifting to monthly during moderate growth. In dry, stable weather, granules hold up well between applications.
Using Them Near Edible Plants
Neither the spray nor the granules should be applied directly to vegetables, herbs, fruits, or any edible crop intended for human consumption. You can, however, apply both as a barrier treatment around edible gardens. Lay granules in a perimeter band around raised beds or garden rows, or spray surrounding fences and stakes. The goal is to create a scent zone that keeps animals from entering the area, not to coat the food plants themselves.
If you need something that goes directly on edible crops, Bonide recommends their separate deer and rabbit repellent lines specifically formulated for that purpose.
Which One to Choose
For most people, the choice breaks down by situation rather than one being universally better.
Pick the spray if you’re protecting ornamental shrubs, flowers, or trees from browsing. It coats the surfaces animals actually touch, lasts longer between applications, and lets you target problem spots precisely. It’s also the better option for hard surfaces like trash cans, deck posts, and outbuildings.
Pick the granules if you’re creating a perimeter barrier around a garden, protecting a large lawn area, or deterring burrowing and ground-level pests like moles, groundhogs, and chipmunks. Granules are faster to apply over big spaces, require no mixing, and work well for bulb protection underground.
Many gardeners end up using both. A granular perimeter around the vegetable garden combined with spray on nearby ornamental plantings covers the full range of entry points. The products use the same active ingredients, so layering them doesn’t create any compatibility issues. It just gives you ground-level and surface-level coverage at the same time.
Safety Around Pets and Children
Both formulations are labeled as safe for use around people and pets when applied as directed. The active ingredients are natural and biodegradable. That said, the scent is intentionally strong and unpleasant, so freshly treated areas may smell potent for a day or two. If your dog tends to roll in garden beds, you might prefer the spray on surrounding plants rather than granules on the ground where a curious pet could dig through them.