After paper towel sprouting, then what?

[Opie Yutts]

OK, a couple of things I did wrong if mendokid is correct:

I planted root down and seed up. I am confused because I saw a nice little diagram of this on someones post and it showed that you should plant the root down. There was between 1/4 and 1/2 inch of root when planted, much like the diagram, so did I do it right after all? Mendokid says it "may be past the time" to plant root up, so which one is it? Now I'm more confused than ever.

I packed the soil a little. I thought you should. When I was done it was still pobably not as packed as in nature, but I guess this was the wrong thing to do.

I covered the first night, then the next morning there was a little mold on the surface of the dirt in of one of the containers, so I left them uncovered from then on (picked out the moldy dirt).

I didn't use ultra light, but I'm guessing this is not a big deal. I assume that is just a brand name for a B-1 helper. I used some other B-1 thing that is supposed to help rooting and transplanting, but at about half strength. Do you think this is bad? I thought it couldn't hurt, as long as I didn't overdo it.

So, I have a precious 8 seeds left, 3 varieties. People help me please, these seeds were not cheap. I am ready to try again and here is what I plan on doing different: No paper towels. Just think about that a second. Sounds weird, huh? But why not just put them in dirt to begin with? Everyone says that you start your seeds in paper towels, but isn't that just to keep them moist? I'm thinking that if I eliminate the towels and go straight to dirt or peat or something (not hydro-like for these hopeful future mothers), then that would eliminate much of the confusion on my part regarding the above points. As long as I keep them moist and warm and dark, what's the difference? Or is there some reason I'm missing that I should be sprouting in towels?

What medium does everyone recomend for starting a dirt weed, and why? I'm thinking of mixing up some of the most expensive dirt I can find that is not pre-fertilized. About 50% dirt, 25% perlite, 25% vermiculite. Does this sound like a good seed starter? It should have good moisture retention and aeration. Last time I used plain old cheap potting soil, don't remember the brand.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to keep ording seeds till I get it right. It would be much nicer if I could just apply someone elses knowledge and save a bunch of money and effort. Big thanks to everyone who responded so far.

[Opie Yutts]

Does the root always bend around like in el cheapo's link, or just sometimes?