Down! Definitely down. Not too deep either, maybe a half inch. That little white thing poking out is the tip of the taproot, and the cotyledons are still in the seed shell.
The root wants to grow down. Even if you plant the seed with the root facing up it will turn itself to the correct way. Do not try to dig it up and replant it because you risk breaking the very fragile taproot and killing it.
Just plant it half an inch into the soil. The seed will do it's own thing... remember Stoner that nature has been doing this for yyyyyyeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrsssss. Don't over think it. Matrix is right, the taproot is very fragile.
Use bottled and/or filtered water, which can be made into a 1/4 strength Maxicrop (MC) solution. Pour some of this liquid into a small cup (a white coffee cup works well, white so you can see seeds easier and heavy to avoid tipping) and toss in the seeds. Throughout the process, the little ones should be kept at or just above room temp. Leave them to soak in a warm, dark place for 24hrs, stirring occasionally or whenever convenient (stirring more than once or twice is not absolutely necessary but speeds up the process). After 24hrs give them one final stir and allow the mixture to settle- inviable seeds will float while live seeds will sink. Fold one single paper towel 3 times and place on a plate. Wet the paper towel with the exact same MC solution or water that the seeds soaked in and save any extra (cover & refrigerate for overnight or longer storage). Tilt the plate and allow any excess water to run off, back into the cup. Gently place your hand on the paper towel while the plate is tilted to squeeze out a little of the water. Never use any chemical fertilizer on seeds or sprouts. Open the last fold of the paper towel and place all live (sank to bottom of cup) seeds inside (not touching each other). Any seeds still floating may be left to soak for another 24hrs, once in awhile one or two more will sink but not often. Or, they can be put into a separate damp paper towel and perhaps one will germinate. Put the plate in a warm, dark, draft-free area. Do not allow temp to go above 85 or below 65. The paper towel drying slightly over time will encourage the roots to reach out for moisture but it should not be allowed to become completely dry. Should the towel dry out too much, add more MC solution or water and drain as before. The paper towel should always contain moisture without being soaked. Once the root starts poking out the seeds cannot be submerged in water, needing some small amount of air. After the roots poking out of the seeds are at least 1/4in but no more than 1/2in long, it is time to plant them. Prepare plastic drinking cups by poking drain holes in the bottom and filling with either seed starter soil or some other fairly inert medium, no higher than an inch from the top of the cup. Moisten the soil with the exact same soution used to germinate the seeds untill a handfull of soil leaches just a few drops of water when squeezed. Poke a hole in the soil of each cup with a toothpick and place the stem coming out of each seed into the hole, being careful not to touch the root. Gently push the soil snug around the root. Cover the cup with a piece of plastic wrap and poke two finger sized holes in the edges of it for ventilation. Place the seedlings no closer than about 7 inches to a florescent light. Once the seeds stand up and begin shedding their shells, it's safe to remove the plastic wrap. It can be left on the cup to help the seedling get its shell and membrane off as long as it doesn't bump into the plastic. This room for growth is one reason why the cup isn't completely full of soil. Wait about 24hrs then move the plants to the "normal" distance from your floros. Occasional misting will help the seedling get its shell & membrane off if it needs some help. These can also be removed manually but I won't go into that technique here. Once the 3-bladed leaves first appear, they can be transplanted into fertile soil with Worm Castings and other amendments. They need to be transplanted by the time the first 5-bladed leaves start growing in as they'll need both nutrients and larger pots. A very good soil mix is 3 parts potting soil, 1 part Worm Castings, about .5 parts Perlite, with some Blood, Bone and Kelp Meals added.
Place the seed in a root riot cube, place cube in a small pot with soil, put under lights. That simple. Works very well. Water in with preservative free Aloe juice. BeZ...V
Tap root faces up if it hasn't started circling the seed shell, but faces down if it's already big enough to have circled the shell before planting.
Exactly. I plant the un germd seed in biobizz all mix that has been watered a few days prior with the pointy edge of the seed facing upabout 2cm below the surface. Leave em an 18/6 cycle for warmth a mist a little each day to ensure the soil doesnt dry completely and hey presto 2-5 days later seedlings