Quick verdict
Two palm-sized plastic dispensers with a five-setting dial that meters seeds out of a spout one or a few at a time, so carrot, lettuce and petunia seed goes where you want instead of in clumps. Tip the sower, tap, and single seeds drop. It is a very cheap tool that saves seed and thinning, works best on round, free-flowing seed and struggles with flat or fluffy types.
Strengths
- Five dial settings for seeds from dust-fine to pea-sized
- Drops seeds singly with a gentle tap
- Saves seed and nearly eliminates thinning
- Two dispensers so you can keep one loaded
- Pocket sized and almost indestructible
Weaknesses
- Flat, winged or fluffy seeds bridge and jam
- Static makes very fine seed cling in dry air
- Plastic hinge is the weak point
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
One Seed Where You Want It
Tiny seeds are the enemy of tidy sowing. Tip a packet of carrot seed and a hundred land in an inch; pinch them and half fall anyway. A seed sower meters them out. TXIN’s dispensers are palm-sized plastic chambers with a spout and a five-position dial that sets the opening to the seed, so a tap drops one or two at a time. Two come in the pack.
This review is based on the listing specifications and on how dial seed sowers perform generally. We have not used these dispensers ourselves and the brand is a generic importer.
Using It
Fill the chamber from the packet, turn the dial until the opening is just larger than a seed, hold the spout over a cell and tap the side with a finger. A seed slides out. Move to the next cell and tap again. Once the rhythm comes, a 72-cell tray sows in a couple of minutes with one seed per cell and nothing to thin.
What It Handles
Round and oval seeds that flow freely are ideal: brassicas, tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce, carrots and most flower seed. Flat seeds like squash and winged or fluffy seeds like marigold and lettuce from some suppliers bridge at the opening. For those, sow by hand.
Static
In dry indoor air, very fine seed clings to the plastic. A breath into the chamber or a wipe with a damp cloth before filling cures it. Owners of plastic sowers all mention this and all use the same fix.
Build
It is a cheap plastic tool with a hinged lid, and the hinge is the part that eventually tires. Two in the pack means a spare, and the price makes replacement trivial.
Why Bother
Seed is cheaper than time, but thinning is tedious and pulling crowded seedlings damages the ones that stay. Single sowing produces evenly spaced, undisturbed plants and stretches a packet over more seasons.
Who Should Buy It
- Anyone sowing trays of small seed each spring.
- Gardeners with less dexterity for whom pinching seeds is hard.
- Soil blockers dropping one seed per dimple.
Common Owner Complaints
Jamming with flat seeds and static cling. Both are known limits of the design.
Technique Tips
Hold the sower almost level and tilt only slightly so seeds queue at the opening rather than rush it. Tap with a fingernail, not a shake, and work in good light so you can see each seed land. Empty the chamber back into the packet when you finish; seed left in the plastic absorbs moisture.
Alternatives to Consider
A syringe-style vacuum seeder picks up single seeds for precision. A paper folded into a V is the free method. Pelleted seed from the supplier flows through any dispenser.
Verdict
For a couple of dollars, these sowers make single-seed sowing of round seeds fast and tidy. Breathe into the chamber on dry days, keep flat seeds for hand sowing and thinning becomes a rare job.
Full specifications
TXIN 2 Piece Adjustable Handheld Seed Sower Dispensers for Small Seeds FAQs
Pour seed into the chamber, set the dial so the opening is slightly larger than the seed, tilt the spout over the cell and tap the side until one seed drops.
Round and oval seeds that flow: brassicas, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, onions, carrots and most flowers. Flat squash seeds and fluffy marigold seeds do not.
Static in dry indoor air. Breathe into the chamber or wipe it with a damp cloth before filling.
For a whole tray, yes; it is faster and the tap rhythm is consistent. For a dozen seeds a toothpick is fine.
