Just starting here, but I try to leave my plants alone as much as possible. I have had 100% germination with soaking the seeds until they sink (really viable seeds seem to only take a few hours, older ones take a bit more time, maybe over night) and putting them in 2-1/2 inch pots. Then they’re fine for a few weeks, until they need more soil. Bottle domes help keep it humid.
I did have one downside though to the domes- one plant got too close to the edge and got waterlogged, and spent weeks slumped over. Go big diameter, I used water bottles. Too small!