i allways soak mine in water till they drop 2 the bottom of the glass, then i put in a clear glass with a paper towel so i can see them sprout, then i open the rw cubes hole a lil biger and put them in with the top 2 lil leafs just sticking out, once they have sprouted i give them just a lil rhizotonic 2 make there stem strong, my way works great for me if my bean sprouts a root it lives!! i aint had 1 with a root die yet