I'm also new to this, but what I'm doing is usuing 1" x 1" rockwool cubes under domes (to keep the humidity up) for my seeds.

Once the roots start poking their way out of the cube is when I'm going to move them to my system.

I'm also using an ebb & flow, with hydrotron expanded clay pellets as my medium.

Are you growing outside, or under lights?

I use the small rock wool plugs for cuttings. I have been able to germinate almost anything using them. I place the seed just barely under the top edge of the rock wool where the split occurs (for cuttings). I then place them on a heater for about 12 hours in a dark un-used room. I then move them to my grow room, but place them in the shade. I put them in a plastic or dixie cup and keep about 1/4" water in the bottom. I will let it dry out every day before adding more water.

I have been able to germinate pepper plants in it that I could not germinate using the jiffy peat pellets.

However, sometimes you get bad seeds ....

mhargraves

how do you prep your rockwool for seeds?

the way I germinate difficult to germinate seedsL
I get a paper towel, fold it on itself many times over. make it very wet, then place the seeds on the paper towel and make 1 last fold to cover the seeds. I keep them in a dark drawer covered with plastic. I do leave some space for it to breath, but not so much that the paper towel dries up. I check up on it in about 5-7 days. By then I usually start to see roots pop out. I place the seed, root part down in a peet pelet and place it under a dome until it grows a little and the roots are stronger. then I transplant into the hydro setup

-beck

I germinate all my seeds in a manner similar to beckmaster. Only, I place the damp paper towel into a piece of aluminum foil and place it near a warm window but not in direct sunlight.
Once they germinate, I place them in a perlite/vermiculite (2:1) mix until they have some true leaves. This will sit in a weak nutrient solution until transplant.
Then I remove the plant from the P/V mix and place directly in the netpots with my choice of medium. Usually either river gravel or marbles.