I use the glass of water and papertowel technique. put your seeds in a small glass of regular water in a dark place for 2 days, then put them in a wet papertowl in a plastic container for another day or 2 depending on if they have sprouted yet, wich about 80% should just from sitting in the water. i have used this method and alot of my friends do and we all get good results. How long were you holding onto those seeds befor planting? cus i had some bag seed's that i was holding onto for god knows how long and when i planted 20 of them only like 8 made it, and i just think it was because they were just bad seeds over time.