bean sprouter for germinating other seeds

[Giannhs]

Hi! this year i got a bean sprouter machine, it is very simple, just keeps temperature inside at 25 C and showers the seeds for a few seconds every one hour. I thought it would be ideal for germinating seeds that need no cold stratification. It does work well for mango seeds. However, i tried with small seeds like papaya, guava, and Jarilla caudata: put in a plastic cup with many holes for drainage but no soil, just naked seeds kept warm and humid in the machine. To my surprise, nothing of these has germinated! A real surprise, because papaya seeds from market fruit just thrown on the ground sprouted like weeds every springtime, guava germinated easily outdoors and all Jarilla seeds i sowed outdoors this past summer germinated - although no plant survived, the sly cats damaged the young shoots and the last one was destroyed because of heavy soil and strong winds of early winter while it was still too tender. Anyway, all those did germinate outdoors, but they are not germinating in the bean sprouter machine. Can somebody explain it?
After that, i put some seeds in clean potting soil and keep them moist in cut halves of plastic bottles at room temperature indoors, but those cut halves do not drain, they rely on evaporation for keeping not too wet. Even those in the potting soil have not germinated, about 5 days now. Some light of experience on the matter? thanks!

[Jaboticaba45]

Last summer I got one of these to grow bean sprouts. I guess that using soil or the paper towel method would work better since the machine is used to grow bean sprouts, not tropical fruit tree seeds. The seeds could be rotting from too much moisture. Some seeds take longer than 5 days to germinate, be patient.

[Giannhs]

Hi! i have never tried the paper towel method because i suspect a paper towel may keep the seeds too wet, and perhaps the new seedlings might be not strong enough to push through the wet towel. But if others have succeeded with that, i shall try it with a few seeds.
Another suspicion - question: can it work to keep the seeds in a small container without drainage holes while giving little water only, or should i cut apertures at the bottom of those cut-half plastic bottles?