I dont even worry about the ph level. What I do is I get a paper towel and get it nice a wet, squeeze it just a little, fold it into quarters and put it on a Styrofoam plate. Then i take my seeds and put them in the middle of the paper towel and set it in a dark place. You may have to dampen the paper towel a couple times, and it normaly takes about 3-7 days. I like to wait till the little white hair comming out of the seed is about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch long.