It's my understanding that rice is germinated in a well drained seed bed and then transplanted as a young plant into the irrigated (wet) field.

What have you done in the past......what was your procedure?

I tried just regular seeding of 1-2 inches deep in moist soil, I have soaked in water, and I have placed in wet paper towel in a plastic bag in sun. None of these had a single sprout and normally I can get anything sprouted.

Everything that I've read indicates that seed rice can be germinated pretty much the same way as any seed in a heated flat with a good, porous soilless mix. Covering with even an inch of potting mix is tooooo deep. I'm not sure if the seed requires light to germinate or not. Some of the sources that I read mentioned simply pressing the seed into the medium. I'd cover with a dusting of potting soil, at the most.

Are you sure of your seed source? Is it fresh, still in the hull? Did you do a float test? Toss the floaters and plant the sinkers.

How to Grow Rice

How to Grow Rice

Soak the seeds in water for about 36 hours and allow to dry for another 24 hours.

Fill a bucket with 6 inches of a mixture of soil and compost.

Add about 5 inches of water to cover the soil.

Evenly spread the seeds in the bucket and place in a warm, sunny area.

Dave

Thanks guys, I will try both methods with just a few seeds each and see which will work.