Germination on seeds man seeds most were small and half just kinda turned black and didn't do anything

size of seed and even if they are not striated or dark shouldn't matter. the age matters, and you aren't often given that info. if i don't get ~100% germination, it's old ass seeds. My 3 year old homebrew seeds still pop 100%. i'd stick to direct to substrate. extra steps only add risk and no benefit. Soaking is simple but even that is unnecessary. jiffy pucks can sometimes be too acidic. it's ahassle to ph-balance them when other options require no extra effort. A dome isn't necessary for sprouts, but i like using one because it delays the need for the 2nd irrigation. I leave a dome on until it sprouts then remove it. This way, i know the tap root is not superficial and watering is of no concern as far as drowing the seedling. If you live in a desert or something, the dome might be useful beyond that, too. fiddling with them, opening it up to look, and other similar behaviour only injects a chance you fuck up the process. light is not good for a germinating seed. it won't always caause a problem, but there's no reason to expose it to light in the first place excpet some sort of OCD nonsense. be patiient. if you use the paper towel method don't fuck with it, lol. another reason to prefer the direct to substrate method -- less chance you go digging around and fuck it up due to unfounded anxiety and nothing else, lol. ther's a slight learning curve as to depth you plant the seed and how that impacts sprout time and whether it pulls the shell off. Simlpy press down into substrate with finger about 1 knuckle or 1/2". this compression creates a solid perch for the seed - it can't fall deeper into the substrate. pop the seed in, loosely cover it and gently tamp down. Simple as that. Don't fuck with it. Wait at least 14 days before you dig any failed seed up to see what happened. use a dome early so you don't have to water before it sprouts. simple is best. any seed that fails from this is the seed's faut. Assumes safe pH range and not using some hot AF soil with a hige nutrient charge. the worst thing you can do is fiddle with it during the germination process... leave it alone.