oh that sucks, sorry to hear that.
i always had issues doing the recommended ways of using paper towels and jiffy pods. Killed 5/6 seeds this way, although overwatering was the main issue I still feel the stress of moving the seeds when they are “newborn” is not worth the effort at all. for example although all the seeds formed a taproot, after planting only about half actually went on to break ground. so they obviously did not like being handled. the ones that did damped off shortly after. interesting that the ones you planted direct are doing well
would be good to know if anyone has done a side by side grow of differing germination techniques, would be interesting to see the results.
i just don’t see the point in adding a layer of stress and potential damage to them right when they are at their most delicate. i would much rather be woken up to breakfast in bed than a bucket of ice water lol. terrible analogy but you get the point.
without seeing them its hard to say what happened… maybe make a post and you can get some advice… I also have a spare bubblegum xxl auto seed if you want me to send it to you just let me know. If you plan on vegging the others for more than 9-10 weeks could be fun to run alongside.









