yep, slow and easy is best. I have the same problem, just wet the top first, let it soak in then continue, takes a minute more but more quality time spent with the ladies, gives you more chance to look them over!
I ended up having to cut down the venus fly traps. Not sure what happened they looked bad. The Trainwreck sour diesel was good but I should have let it go longer. All in all a good learning experience.
The root system on the traps were not that well developed for whatever reason. One was actually root bound from the container I started the seed in. the tap root was all curled up and never went down.
You can move this to the completed journals
I got another grow happening now and the clones from the venus fly traps died as well. A friend did great with the clones I gave him in hydro
Also Tangerine dream seeds from attitude suck I have tried to start 8 of them so far and none cracked. I looked on the net and I'm not the only one. Soaked them in rain water then put them in dirt soaked some in seaweed and rain water. Not one cracked
But I have 100% success rate for clones of any strain.
Cut them, dip in Clonex stick them in some FFOF (Fox Farm Ocean Forest) put under a small T5 with a dome spray them every day and about 10-14 days remove the dome.
Only one did not make it. If you have your clones near by and your cleaning make sure what you think is water your grabbing to spraying on the clone and not windex.
Send me a link to the new journal. I was tempted to get the Tangerine Dream myself, they were sold out (along with the Frisien Dew sp?). I don't feel so bad now. I've seen more misses on that one than any other. Barneys should issue a recall.