Re-read this comment:
It really absolves me about feeling bad about any treatment you've gotten here. People (including long time growers) have provided good advice as to why your germination in soil hasn't worked, and how to make it work and the reply was 'LMAO' then your gotcha about sphagnum...which needs to have pretty much the same prep.
Stating that people have germinated seeds in soil (personally or otherwise) isn't a flex. People have been germinating in soil for millennia, literally since before recorded time. The only need for a 'paper-towel method' or similar alternates is when you're doing things like cold-stratifying certain seeds, etc.
Glass of water and paper towel methods are perfect for those who demand to see activity in hours rather than the couple of days it takes seeds to sprout and peek out of the soil. Both methods also introduce the chance to mess up your newly germinated seeds by needing handling and manipulation before getting them into growing medium.
