I germinate in loose soil ... those Jiffy-pot type thingies are a disaster for me ... they wet/dry too fast to keep up with ... too wet=pythium wilt, too dry=dead ... use a plain, cheap potting soil (the good ones usually are too 'hot', too-rich nutrients for seedlings), and I add a bit of washed coarse sand ... good drainage, and avoid the over-watering (I'm bad about that) ... :smokin: