First post- soil, topping, and germing question

first grow, first post actually for me. Just a few questions. I'm growing in southeastern US, so I'll be germing in a few days. I'll only be able to go to grow location once/wk or two wks(is this enough?). Planning on using perlite for moisture as well as plastic lining. Last year, we suffered major drought.


If I top my plants, how will this affect the amount of water needed, if at all?

second question (may be a dumb question look out) - what type of soil is the best for germination? Does it matter if the germing soil is different from the soil I transplant it to?

also, I would love to hear suggestions on what type soil mixture to use. [FONT=&quot]1/3 perlite ,1/3 peatmoss, 1/3 worm castings is what I had planned to use.
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Good soil mix(i use a very similar soil mix)....however perlite doesnt retain as much water as vermiculite does so if droughts are a problem, probally use vermiculite!as for germ soil.that mix will work fine, however, u'd probally wana change the worm castings for a normal potting soil, as seedlings don't require nutes and can burn easily!