Bud, I tried all of those ways...hydrogen peroxide + water, damp cotton cloth (paper towel), hugs & kisses and tucking them into bed too...none would pop. I've never had such bad luck germinating seeds for all my life...been growing a few plants every year now for decades and rarely had germination issues until seeds became over $10 a piece. It can't be me, because two of three Skunk #1 seeds popped are are growing like weeds...the seeds were way too old.