Best technique ive used for auto’s is getting the jiffy peat pods, the big ones for tomatos. Start the seed in there and when you see the root coming out of the bottom put it into a pot of “water only” soil with a small puck in the middle removed and replaced with promix (no nutrients). You plant the jiffy pod in the promix and that will avoid any burn or stunting from too much nutes, they dont like it. Took me a few years to perfect that.
They do good in coast of maine stonington, top dressed with grokashi. Plug and play.