First set of questions

Okay after reading a bunch of things on here I have a few questions.

First, for my first attempt should I even try using higher end seeds?

2, I want to only grow for myself, so a minuscule amount of plants, maybe 2-3. Is this a realistic number to expect 1 male and one female? If I read everything right I need at least one male to pollinate the females. Is 3 plants a safe number to grow?

3, so I kill the male plant after pollination. How do I know when the female is pollinated and how many weeks in?

4, I want the least skunk possible and I'm willing to sacrifice some quality to have little skunk.

So basically I don't want to have to spend a lot of money in my setup because I'm not doing this for a profit, mainly for fun.

oh and 5, I've been looking around for a place to buy seeds, this is new to me so naturally I'm surprised buying something like this is even safe to do online. Where are your suggestions for seed purchase?

welcome to riu and thanks for reading first. fellow noobie here but further along and have had many of the same questions answered for me.

1. genetics have a large part to play in quality of result. but if you're on a tight budget you may want to learn the basics using bagseed for your first grow.
2. not sure you want pollination. unless you want seeds to plant next time you should kill the males before they pollinate your females. the female is the only one that produces significant thc. a seeded female produces much less thc.
3. see 2. if you want to pollinate you can keep the male plants growing until you can clearly see seeds forming on the females.
4. your seedbank can tell you the smell of various strains but you are going to need some odor control no matter the strain.
5. i bought my seeds from amsterdam seeds and had no problem

oh so I don't even need to pollinate the females for them to produce thc? I only need the females pollinated to produce the seeds?

If that's so I wouldn't even bother with a male plant then. I'm not looking to produce more seeds, this time.

right, the best weed comes from an unpolinated female plant. within a few weeks of changing to 12/12 light you will be able to distinguish the males and you should kill them then. to get one or two females you should probably grow 4 plants. you'll have a 95% chance of one female and a significant chance for 2 females.

oh okay sweet, that's easier then too, don't have to worry about pollination.

So this is my understanding on how to start:

First, let the seeds sprout in a moist paper towl, or other towl that holds moisture (I actually did this with pumpkin seeds in like 4th grade haha). Then plant them about a half inch deep in like plastic cups so I can see the roots reach the bottom. Move them to like a gallon size pot (no pun). I'll probably buy special potting soil at walmart or something. I won't be using a hydroponic medium, atleast not the first time.

Meanwhile I'll start off with 24hours of light? Then switch to 12/12 after a few weeks? Making sure to pick out and kill the male(s).

you've got the basics. read growfaq for suggestions for modifying soil for better drainage and plan on repotting to 3 gallon pots when needed. best of luck