First, I would recommend starting with a review of the FAQs here, the Frequently Asked Questions. I linked them below. Second, I can tell you that the most common cause of the problems you describe is NOT the seeds themselves, it is the methods used. They are 1) over-wet potting mix causing the seeds to rot before they can germinate, 2) allowing the potting mix to dry out completely after the seed germinates or 3) improper planting techniques such as planting depth, lack of cold stratification first, failure to pre-soak when required, etc. Some seeds need to be laid on the surface, uncovered, and exposed to light to germinate. Some require depth and darkness, some require pre-soak, some cold stratification, some need to be nicked (scarification). 4) not knowing the germination time required for each specific variety. Some seeds germinate in 24-48 hours, others can take weeks. The heat and lights provided are secondary considerations. While they are of great benefit in speeding up germination and later growth, any reasonable age seed given the right moisture level and light or lack of light exposure will do its best to germinate. Fertilization has no role until after germination. So why not tell us exactly what seeds you are trying to germinate? Burpee product designed specifically for seed starting made up of coconut hulls, pearlite, and some other organic stuff. Nothing wrong with that if properly wetted and then wrung out good before planting. I used earth pods made from some kind of compost material, and also seed starter kit made from styrofoam, IME Earth Pods (if you mean the brand) tend to take a long time to get wet initially and then they stay wet too long unless you squeeze much of the excess moisture out of them before planting. The foam container I can't help with except to say they don't conduct heat well and most i have seen are built to "float" in water which is a good way to drown seeds. So after reading the FAQs, can you give us more info? Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Growing from Seed FAQs

seedsnsprouts, I agree with you that the pots you used are way too small. The very smallest pot I would consider starting my veggies in would be a foam coffee cup. I start mine in 4"X4"square and/or 6"round pots. You don't have to throw those plants you've started out, but just transfer them into larger pots and they will do well. A quick way to rescue those plants would be to transfer them into cheap plastic cold drink cups if you cannot locate any plant pots quickly, just make sure you first punch a hole or two with a sharp pencil at the bottom of the cup for drainage. I hope this helps. Lou

Noticed you later asked about plugs. I recommend them over anything else if you use a compost bin to get rid of your spent plants. Fiberglass won't compost. Rockwool won't, either. But, if you have old fiberglass lying about that is a great way to reuse before trashing the stuff. I may just have to do that myself since I'm reinsulating parts of my house. Anyway, I'm all about ease. I've used coir quite a bit as medium. I mix it with perlite and top it off with hydroton. That's what I use in the hydrofarm-like set-ups I've found to be the most successful for peppers and tomatoes. The coir/perlite will keep you from having to worry about dry conditions as much as it will hold lots of water. That way, if your water runs low while you're away or being lazy (the case with me occasionally) you don't lose your plant in a day or at least damage it's processes. The hydroton helps to keep the water from being wicked onto the stem. You'll notice the pics with the worst infections around a stem seem to have a wicking medium (especially the case with rockwool) all the way to the top of what would be the soil line in a garden environment. Some people on here have suggested river rock and even those glass pond rock things you find in glass jars for decoration.

How to use perlite-There are different grades or sizes of perlite. You should probably choose a pretty fine size for smaller seeds. One thing many people do for seed starting is mix perlite with peat. How much to cover. It depends on the seeds. Check the seed packets if you have them. They usually Tell planting depth. If the seeds need a shallow planting depth (1/8 to 1/4 inch) they usually want light to germinate. Smaller seeds usually need to be closer to the surface, some really tiny seeds just gets sprinkled on the surface and perhaps lightly pressed onto the soil for good contact. Larger seeds that get planted like 1/2 inch to 1 inch deep want dark to germinate. It probably would help those seeds to place cardboard over the top of the tray. Make sure there is a little space between the top of your starter mix and the cardboard so that when they germinate, they are not squished. Check daily and once you seed some seedlings emerging, remove the cardboard. The most important part for seed starting is keeping the correct amount of moisture. Make sure your perlite or seed starting mix is moist before you plant your seeds, trying to water it after you plant your seeds could wash your seeds away. This is why those seed starting kits often come with a plastic dome that you remove or prop open once the seedlings emerge. The cardboard will also help with the moisture. You need to keep the medium (perlite, peat, soil, whatever) moist but not too wet. You don't want your seeds to rot or drown but they can't germinate without some moisture. Until the plants emerge, they won't be using any water so the only water you should be adding is to make up for evaporation. The best way to moisten it would either be misting with a spray bottle or if the tray has drainage holes, you might be able to bottom water by placing it in another try without holes that has water in it and then lifting it out and letting it drain. The hardest part of growing seedlings is keeping them moist but not waterlogged. You don't need liquid fertilizer until after the seeds germinate. Small seedlings need very weak fertilizer at first. You can slowly strengthen the fertilizer as the plants grow. If you are using strictly perlite, you might concider a hydroponic nutrient as your fertilizer, but something more like a potting soil or peat based seed starting mix might support enough soil bacteria that would make using regular liquid fertilizer acceptable. At what stage can you transplant. Well that will vary depending on 1-what type of plant, 2-the starter container, 3-where you are transplanting too, 4-your desire to manually care for seedlings in captivity. Many people will transplant as soon as the first or second set of true leaves emerge (the first leaves you see when the seedling comes up are not ture leaves but the next set will be.) Other people will say transplant when the seelings are 4" or 6" tall. It kinda depends on what you start them in, how crowded they are (remember it is usually good to thin the ranks to appropriate spacing since two seedlings sharing too close of quarters will both suffer.) If your seed tray is simply an egg carton (The paper egg cartons are really great for seedlings you will be putting into the ground since most roots will grow right through them, you simply cut them apart and plant carton and all right in the soil), you probably have to transplant pretty quickly since the seedlings will outgrow the space. If you have them planted in larger containers then you can let them get bigger before putting them out on their own. Also, the location you are planning to put them in after transplant will affect how big you will want them. It can be difficult for a really tiny transplant to survive in some environments like places where there is competition from other plants or careless gardeners who might pull a small seedling, thinking it is a weed. Finally, your own time to be taking careful care of seedlings in small non-soil containing containers. Small containers with little seedlings need regular attention or they could dry out and waste your effort. Even in a location with automatic sprayers, you are gambling by leaving seedlings unattended for too long. What if the settings are off and things get too wet or too dry? The sooner the plants get situated into their long term arrangements, the less attention they will require from you provided the settle in well. Good luck with your seed starting.