its not a good idea to let the taproot get very long, it is Extremely sensitive to light and rough handling ... if it peeks out of the shell, thats good enough, get it into the soil (1/4" deep, loose soil) also, try to place the seed taproot 'Down', gravity helps it get oriented to the sun ... you will have less chance of problems like 'wilt-off', etc. that way ... enjoy your grow ! ... :smokin:

P.S ... just curious ... if you are new to just germinating a seed, why do you have 1,619 posts in here ?? ... (seems a bit odd) ...