Seed Planting Tools For Small Seeds

So here’s a scenario: You’ve just bought a brand new pack of seeds. You’re meticulously following the guidelines, desperate to get them right.

You’re placing the tiny seeds in these careful holes, desperately trying to evenly spread out your microscopic seeds according to particular planting guidelines.

But your hands start to shake or the wind blows and all of a sudden your precious seeds are strewn across your soil and you’re left to pick up the seeds and start over again.

This is where you decide you need to get your hands on some seed planting tools for small seeds. They for sure make your life easier.

Why would you need a planting tool for small seeds?

Seed planting tools are used specifically to make sure seeds are sown at a correct depth and at a correct width apart from each other. Not following these rules could result in your plants growing far too close to each other and/or not sprouting.

That’s not what we want at all.

They’re also particularly useful if you have shaky hands or you’re planting with children who will have difficulty being accurate or of course you just want to be as accurate as you can.

Furthermore, seed planting tools for small seeds work well for small gardening projects and can be a great addition to a miniature gardening tool set.

Seed dispensers for small seeds

Seed dispensers for tiny seeds can be made yourself or bought. Here are some of my favourite types which all come with different accuracy to dispense all based on the seed shape and seed size.

Seed size

Bigger seeds will not be able to be distributed using the small seed dispensers in this article. It is a good idea to look at the size of you seeds and decide whether they are suitable for these tools or if you can just use your hand.

Typically, the bigger the seed, the less need you have for a small seed dispenser anyway.

Seed shape

Not all seeds are shaped equally, and you may find that certain shaped seed are not suitable for the type of seed dispenser you are interested in.

For example, grass seeds, although small, will have a tough time being separated using adjustable seed dispensers and you would be better off with a vegetable dispenser instead.

Adjustable seed dispensers

Adjustable Seed Dispenser

Also known as the dial seed dispenser, this one works by controlling the flow of seeds using five different settings. This is probably one of the most accurate. What makes this so useful is that it allows you to be accurate when you need to or inaccurate when you don’t.

Not every time you plant small seed you’d want to be measuring out distances. For example, planting grass seeds you can be rough with but planting flower seeds you might want to be more accurate and meticulously place them at set distance apart from each other.

However, this tool does not allow you to measure depth. If you need to calculate the depth at which you’d plant your tiny seed, I’d use a gardening knife or gardening ruler in combination.

Seed Master Dispenser

Another adjustable seed dispenser is the seed master dispenser. It works by putting the seeds in the trowel shaped tool and shaking the seeds down, through the adjustable holes. The grooves at the end of the trowel then limit the number of seeds that can come out at a time.

What I like about this tool is that it is easy to set up and straight forward to use. With a steady hand you can easily distribute small seeds where you want to.

However, if you were specifically looking to place INDIVIDUAL seeds, this tool is not the best as a shake of the tool too big may result in more seeds coming out than required.

Sow EZ Seed dispenser

A final adjustable dispenser that is popular is the EZ seed dispenser. This is my favourite and the easiest to use. Simply:

• spin the knob on the back of the device to choose between the size of seed you want to sow
• Use the grip on the side of the tool to push out the seed

I like this tool because it is easy to see where the seed is going and the transparent plastic makes you able to see the seed before it comes out of the device. Perfect for accurate placement. What I don’t like about this device is you will need to pre- dig the depth at which you want the seed to be and make sure it drops within the whole.

However, if your planting guidelines suggest you leave the seed on the surface of the soil or only lightly cover it then this device is definitely suitable.

DIY hand seed dispenser

Using a salt shaker or an old seasoning shaker is a great way to evenly distribute seeds on a budget by hand. You can empty out the current salt or seasoning you have to get going straight way or you could wait till you finish a container.

However, note this method will not place individual seeds accurately but instead spread seeds evenly in a general area. Also, if your seeds are slightly too big for the salt shaker holes then this method will not work at all.

In this case I would recommend making a hand held seed sower like seem in the video below

Vegetable seed dispenser

Vegetable and flower seeds in particular can be extremely hard to plant because of their specific planting guidelines. “Spreading” seeds rather than “placing” them will not ensure the correct growth of your plant.

Therefore, I recommend using a professional seed sower in this case. This works by:

• Removing the end cap of the dispenser and filling it with the required number of seeds. It is perfectly to just put one seed in, no matter how small.
• Push the red plunger in to the soil to the required depth. Use a ruler or gardening knife to find this depth
• Spread the seeds out as required by the planting instructions
• Cover the seeds as required by the planting instructions. Don’t forget to water if necessary.

This method is the most accurate by far. And better yet if you also want to measure the depth you plant the seed. This is the only small seed dispenser on the market to properly do that.

Also, If you are a detail freak like me or have seeds too small to risk planting without damaging or losing them. This is the method for you.

DIY small seed dispenser

Of course some people will prefer to remain on a budget but still want to create a dispenser for their tiny seeds.

Tips on planting small seeds                   

When planting small seeds, make sure you know

• The depth
• The distance between each seed
• The type of soil you should use

Once you know that, finding a seed planting tool for you small seeds becomes pretty simple.