Why germinate in a paper towel?

why do the vast majority of people use the paper towel germ. method? why not just germinate them in the soil? is it really that much better?

Cuz its too harsh on the seed. Plus it has a higher sucess in a paper towel. Ive personally germinated both ways and its always 100 percent in the paper towel... 50/50 with soil.

i've tried the paper towel a few times, and everytime they dry out on me at some point while i am gone. but i have always germed in soil and get about a 75% success rate.

germinating that ways quick (usually) and easy plus you find out which seeds are good and which arnt,coz sometimes seeds dont split and root dont come out!you can put seeds straight in soil if you want tho,but they probably wont all break through the soil.

well you probably dont wet the tissue enough or you dont put um in a plastic bag somewhere warm or like me,put the paper towels with seeds in, in a plastic container then put that in a propagator!

The only way I germinate my seeds is with a papertowl and a tupperware bowl with a lid. Wet the papertowls and place your seeds inside. You can even layer the paper towels up inside the bowl if you are germinating a lot of seeds. Put the lid on it, and place it somewhere dark with a little bit of heat. I tend to keep mine on the top of my refrigerator, works like a charm.

Ya I split the papertowel in half, soak it completly, put the seed in the middle then fold it in half, throw it in a ziplock and put it in the window. Most of the time its sprouted within 24 hours.