Hi James
Thanks for the tips. I actually discovered your website a month or so ago and it's what got me thinking about this whole process.
I haven't tried it with drainage holes yet because they seem to like the heat pad, but may have to if some of these don't survive the semi hydroponic way I'm testing.
No matter what soil I used they seemed to eventually all get either root die back from drying out off the heat pad or root rot. Hopefully this perlite I'm using keeps them more airy and away from anything that might cause rot. Hopefully they grow and do as well as yours