Crispy is bad. I couldn't quite tell everything that might be going on based on your description, but if you have left the lid on your flats for longer than about a day after your sprouts started to appear, that could be the problem. Take the lid off. Also if your system has a heat mat to warm the soil, turn that off when some seedlings appear. Even if not all the seeds have germinated. Once seeds start to germinate, you're finished with the mat. TJ, I always end up having to juggle different types of seeds in the same flat because of space limitations, but the truth is that most seeds will tolerate quite a wide variety of germination conditions and a little compromise here or there won't make a difference. One thing I'm thinking, though, is that maybe cupid's dart needs to be cold stratified. If everything else comes up except those, chop out those cells from your tray, put them in a plastic baggie, and stick them in the freezer for two weeks. Then take them out and see what happens. As for the mold, since nothing has sprouted there, you could spritz the soil surface with full strength alcohol, peroxide or garden fungicide. Or just let the soil dry out completely.

I had great luck germinating seeds in the plugs (I didn't buy the dome, just the inserts) but the plants pretty much died in an aeroponics system. OTOH, I have had fantastic success with Horticubes. Oner place that sells them is http://homeharvest.com/seedstartingrootingmedium.htm though I bought 162 cell as well as 102 cell trays. If you have your own nursery tray, http://www.insidesun.com/104fb6f35079bf88aed2ed644df1ef6b.item has them at a lower price. I sowed a tray of the 102 ones a week ago. Only six seeds have not germinated yet. The key is to keep them wet - you cannot overwater them. I line my nursery trays with plastic, then add a couple of quarts of water every other day or sooner. If you visit this thread you can see how my plants look after 2.5 weeks. Mike

I've been starting seeds this season in the Bio Domes -- all three sizes. Robust plants seem to do okay in the sponges, but I've had troubles with seedlings that have fragile root systems. They germinate very quickly and then just sit there with two or four leaves. One reason I bought the Bio Domes was that Park described them as a Dutch product, and I know that the Dutch are very enthusiastic gardeners. So, after being disappointed in the sponges, I started prowling around some Dutch websites, looking for any reviews of these systems. There was quite a lot about the trays and the covers, but nothing at all about the floating inserts and the sponges. The search terms are Kweekbak or Kweekbakje. The manufacturer is Nortène. The illustrations show an insert with cells for seed-starting media, with a capillary mat underneath, or just simply a bunch of Jiffy Pots or seed blocks. I didn't search deeply enough to find out whether the floating inserts and sponges were used there in the past versus being a Park innovation. I also tried some British websites and one French one. The British sites do have a system with sponges, but they look different from the ones Park sells. The trays and covers are very well-made and easy to use, and the floating inserts seem like such a good way to keep a consistent water level, but I probably won't buy more sponges. I'll try to make the inserts work with regular seed-starting media, or just use the trays and covers with plastic or bio-degradable pots.

Hey birthday buddy!, lol... I recognized your name from the other site... I did a LOT of researching and read a lot of customer reviews, and even talked with a lot of people who had bought, sold, or tried these units. After collecting all my info, I ordered the power cloner 165. Ez cloner was my second choice, and the one second recommended, but the humidome is a big plus, especially if you are rooting leafy things that will have a lot of transpiration(water loss through surface area of leaves). I know these work for actual cuttings, but have not heard, (or seen) these being used for SEEDS... -Taylor