Can you sprout seeds in rockwool cubes?

Sorry for the newb question, Yes I did search for it and get different answers on threads like, some people say they ph the rockwool cubes, some say they dont, Some say they use a paper towel then put in the cube, some say they do straight in the cube... Some say they dont need a humidity dome, some say they do. What is true

Can I just put my seed in ph'd rockwool cube and hatch/sprout it in there to put in a DWC? Or do i sprout it in a cup of soil then transplant it?

The way I did it was following the advice from Cervantes' book, The Grow Bible. I placed my seeds in a shot glass over night, then that morning I placed in a paper towel for a day. Next day I had nice tap roots showing and I moved them to rockwool.

But to answer your first question, yes, I believe it is possible to sprout directly in a rockwool cube. If you are going to DWC, then there won't be a need for you to use soil. Just grow the seedling in the rockwool cube and once the roots start to outgrow the rockwool, move to DWC.

I believe that the method of using the shot glass < paper towel < rockwool is the best way to germinate a seed IMO.

soaking them in water really is the best way.. soak em for 24 hours and if they sprout, put em in a cube. if they dont, put them in the wet paper towel for another day. seeds can suffocate. generally, if they dont sprout within 72 hours, they will be slow growing plants.. both grow bibles say that. you can actually put a piece of fine sand paper in a small match box and use it to scuff the surface of the seeds to allow water to penetrate it faster. i def wouldnt start soil and then go dwc... exposing the roots to air will prune the roots and it will be slow to grow..good luck with your grow

YES you can heres proof.

make sure your rockwool stays moist (wet)

We used to sprout all of our veggie seeds at the store I used to work at this way. pH some water then let the cubes soak, then plant the seeds. The rockwool has a good water-oxygen ratio and makes popping seeds a breeze.

Is it vital to put the hydroton all over the RWcube? I put some seeds in ph'd RW cubes and have not sprouted anything 4 days later. But I did not use the hydroton rocks around it , I do have some and the cubes sit on top of the rocks.

Did you cover the cube with hydroton from the begining of putting the seed in? or waited for it to sprout then put the hydroton around?

Covering the cube will just aid in the keeping mold from growing on top of the cube. I don't think the 5.5 inch net pots I have will let a 3 in cube sit all the ay on the bottom of the pot so that you could cover it up. So it largely depends on the size of the container and rockwool as to if it is going to get covered or not. I've been sprouting seeds in 1.5 rockwool starter cubes ph'd to 5.5 for about 30 min. I then pick them up and give them a quick flick of the wrist a few times to shake out the excess water. Squeezing the cubes removes it's wonderful porus qualities, so I would try and avoid it if possible. I then keep the cube moist with a turkey baster using ph'd 5.5 water. Just moist not saturated. When roots come through the bottom I put them into ph'd 5.5 3in rockwool cubes with holes made for the 1.5's to go in.
I guess I should mention I put the cubes in a shallow tote that I can cover and uncover with plastic wrap.