no I think they was bad but not for sure they never cracked open at all i ordered 4 autoflowers they did fine and my white widow seeds did good to, first time i ordered from sick meds and there seeds did not crack,, and they looked imature as hell they had a white color to them and my gf put them beside the tv box with the rest of the dvds and that box gets rile warm i got to germ seeds the next shelf up and its still 84f to 85 f up there i have a filling they cooked for 2 weeks and i did not know it till i stuck a thermostat beside it,, i switched cable companies i wend from dish tv back so cable and there box gets way hotter then the one i use to germ seeds on top of and i did not know that
That was the problem. Immature seeds.
I advise against using domes or blocking air. Excess moisture is not good.
At most, when sprouting in solo cups under strong lighting, I lay a cardboard circle on the cups until they break soil. In my case it is because I use sand in my soil mix and the top layer dries out fast.
In the garden all the seeds I plant, I plant then water and leave them. They might not get water for a while.
I save my own seeds. Close to 100% sprout.
Cannabis is a hearty plant. It has adapted to just about every climate on earth.
I get that seeds cost money. When a seed sprouts it developes many very fine roots (root hairs). These are very sensitive and can be damaged easily. The extra steps like using paper towels can damage them.
Its a seed. It is meant to grow in soil. When I said poke a hole and plant it, it wasn't random.
The less steps and handling, the lower the chance of damage.