I need a better strategy for growing autos from regular seeds.

[Olderfart]

Three nice healthy plants in the tray to grow. All males.
I made my own seeds by crossing 2 of my favorite autos. It's Coal miner's daughter (male) / Witcher's' creek. I'll call it Witchers' Daughter for now.
I grow in a semi-organic soil mix and use water only method. Excepting top dress. I prefer direct sowing autos for fear of damaging the roots or shocking the plant. Since I have plenty of seeds, I planted a few and intended to weed out the males. I hoped at least one plant would be female out of three.

So, here's the question. If you are growing in some soil mix and intend to transplant, and want to do the least harm to the roots of the plant, what is your procedure?
It took about 21 days for the plants to show their little balls.
If it wasn't winter and I had them in smaller containers I would definitely save one male for the pollen.

I start all my plants in solo cups now. I tail seeds first in wet cotton, then plant in the solos beneath a plastic dome until the cotys get well started. If they are to be moved to larger pots once ready, I use split bottomless cups supported inside intact cups to grow the seedlings, and then transfer into a fitted hole by removing the split cup from around the seedling roots after placing in the fitted hole. It has never failed to result in continued healthy growth of young plants, and it permits me to start as many as I want in order to select for gender or whatever, and toss the ones I don't like.

I may try direct planting in solos rather than tailing them first, but I doubt it would make a lot of difference other than slightly less work.

Good luck with it.

Yeah that does sound like crappy odds but I don’t know I’ve never done it. The ones that I know to talk to about this would be @Mossy and @BCBudlady maybe they have some better ideas

I have been there too. As us backgammon players are known to say, "the dice they can be cruel". And three out of 3 males is a one in ~8 chance, not super rare by any means. Sadly, the solution is more seeds in the dirt, whatever way a grower organizes that.