need sog advice

I'm going to start a SOG and I have a couple of questions.Can I start from seeds? I've read that you need to start w/ clones.
What is the best soil to use?
Thanks

You want to start from clones so that all of your ladies are the same size and grow the same height after the flip. I believe most people don't have a veg cycle when doing SOG. Just take clones and let em root and then put em into flowering. I've used Fox Farm Ocean Forest and Roots Organics soil and they've both worked great.