Germination

I've been doing some reading of threads on this forum and other sources with mixed results. I'm hoping we can create a place where the best way to germinate is more clearly defined. It seems that there are three methods.
1) Dunk it in water
2) Moist paper towel
3) Moist soil/ rockwool

1) Seems the most controversial. Some people do it and claim a 100 percent germination rate. Others say it kills.
2 and 3 seem pretty close. though some sources are pretty extreme about 3 being the only way to go.

And i've read that slightly acidic water is a good idea. What water source are people using for this early stage?

You left of the easiest method... drop in dirt and watch it grow.

^^^ Hard to wrong with that method.

I use rain water whenever possible.

Moist paper towel in an open ziploc between 82-84° you wanna see moisture in the bag.
Best results IMO.
Ph'd water

Several advantages to dirt germ

I......me......have been involved with this ( Ozzy called it sweet leaf) a long freaking time and it seems that we make it a lot harder than it needs to be .....I stumbled across this site several years ago.......having already experienced a great deal of the problems that are discussed here and not really thinking it was a big deal back then......I will say I never saw what is referred to here as bud rot until I started using purchased seeds......I've been doing the same thing for decades with great success........my lower success rates have come with purchased seeds
I went thru most of my purchased seeds early this spring......white widow autos....vanilla kush FEMS with a 100% failure rate.......not one seed .....to say I was pissed would be a understatement.......so I went to my old standbys a cross that I created several years ago with a 100% success rate at this time I've got more than I know what to do with.....inside and out so I guess what I'm trying to say is let it do what it wants to do.....the old Keep It Simple Sucker and I think mother nature will take care of the rest

in a 16 oz cup add 250ml of tap water and 5ml H2O2 3% cover up with a paper towel and put it in a warm dark place. they usually pop in 24-48 hours

ps i have a 100% germination rate with this method

I just germed 2 easy ryder seeds in 24 hrs. I put the seeds in water for 1 hour, then put them between some damp paper towels in a tupperware container. In the dark they went at ~78 degrees. Popped 24hrs later. Of course how old the seeds are is just one of may variables that will determine how fast they will pop. ymmv, im a noob, good luck with ur grow dude.