I have only germed in a paper towel one time and it was my first grow before my parents didnt give a shit and didnt really like the fact i had a sketchy cfl setup behind my bed with a shirt draped over to hide the light.. Now as i got older, i got my card and my dad actually helps and tends to my plants as much as i do. None the less, i can truely say that i have never had a seed not sprout from just planting straight into soil. I will even dig around sometimes when i get too anxious and sure enough there is a little seedling with a tap root! Now everyones saying oh its a waste of soil if it doesnt sprout but its not like a dud seed is gonna ruin the soil, i would just simply take out the dud and plant a new seed.
Hey Hotrodharley, you said that with longer shoots you only use plain water? I have a plant i would like to clone and it has quite a few really long shoots on it that can be taken off so can i just take a shoot and stick it in a glass of water with say a plastic bag around it for humidity and hope for roots?