You can avoid this by simply sowing directly into medium. You may not see it germinate, but seeing it is not required for it to occur. What is required is a little delayed gratification, which is a low cost for less risk.
all you can do is get it into the moist medium and see what happens. If on any sort of schedule or relying on this to be the same size as other platns etc.. might want to consider sowing more seed.
i try to plant 133% of what i need. Can trash the weak that way.