i think my method is perfect.
use a real 1'x1'? paper towel that is usually located in the kitchen.
fold it in half, place seeds inside, use slightly warmer than room temperature (+5-10 degrees, trust me)...
soak a cloth towel in the same warm or even warmer water, squeeze most of the water out but leave it nice moist. i just keep it as moist as possible without dripping.
now place the first paper towel on the second cloth towel, then place the warm water (+5-10 degrees) in the palm of your hand and drip it over the already wet paper and cloth towel.
the step above makes sure everything is making contact.
now place the towels is a completely dark drawer, cabinet, box, whatever, try to keep it at 65-75 degrees and within 24 hours they should be cracked with the white root coming out. As long as there is some root showing out of the seed, the seed is ready to be transplanted to soil.
have a good soil mix, use your finger and poke into the soil 1 inch.
*when you place the seeds in the soil, it doesnt matter what direction you place it in. the next 24 hour period in weak lighting will allow the plant to search for proper lighting and water.
one thing special thing i learned. during the next 24 hour period, main roots will grow and shoot out like no other. in 24 hours, roots should shoot straight down to the bottom of any planting container/pot. this idea is key as roots are crucial foundations to the plant, and by shooting straight down the entire container, it makes sure the plant can attain water at any depth of the container. i learned this the hard way because sometimes my vegetation on top grew too fast for the roots and as a result plants were topping over. i believe this tiny issue is only for 24/7 vegetation people. because any off time will allow the roots to grow, otherwise it's too busy with the photosynthesis of the top vegetation? haha
when transplanting the seed, i use a plastic bag over my hand to make sure nothing on me can shock the seed. hopefully you gloves or something, because using just a bag can get tricky since the seed is so tiny.
now drop the seed in, cover it up, water it lightly so that everything is cohesive.
now just place it in the light! i try to save light by putting the sprouting seeds slightly outside of my large mh lights. meaning the light rays are not directly hitting the surface, it's simply bumming random light outside of it's efficient range, and it works great for me. within 24 hours, from 1 inch deep in the soil, it will be tall enough and ready to move to the normal mh light.
once it shows the first 2 leaves, it's ready to go grow!
recap: within 48 hours, you should be able to place your seedlings into normal growing. if you don't know what height to place it at, just always go much lower than you think, then adjust. by having the light so far away, the plant stretches immediately to try and find light.
one time i left the seedlings under the weak light for too long, instead of the 24 hours (second 24 hour period of my method), and instead of moving them to the full growth light at around 2 inches, the sproutings went up to 6 inches! it's just searching like no other.
without proper lighting, the plant will not grow. I've been testing differently lightings, and it's amazing what typeof difference it makes.
so yea..this is obviously more than what you wanted, but i apologize, i was lifted when* i started this.
which means it's time... =)
