I need some advice on germinating seeds. I have a biodome that holds 60
cells with sponge material provided by the vendor. The sponges look like
dirt and have a hole for the seed already. I planted watermelon, corn,
and sunflowers. 9 seeds out of 26 of the watermelon have germinated.
Only 1 or 12 seeds have germinated for the corn and none of the
sunflower seeds have germinated. It has been 14 days since sowing.

My question is, are the yields for germinating usually this low? I
bought quality seeds (burpee). Also, I noticed a white webby funguslike
growing out of the holes in the corn seeds that have not germinated. Are
there any recommendations for germinating seeds? According to the
documentation, the sponges are designed to suck up just enough water and
I keep the dome closed so it is humid. Temp has stayed at around 85
degrees F.

Are there any other biodome owners that can give a description of how
they germinate their seeds?

Thanks for the help,

GardeningGuy