You might have something. See if you can duplicate the results.

Bragu, I just planted the last of my seeds for this year using the 'leca method', so I will have wait until next spring to try again.

I tried this because I found that hippeastrum seeds I started in water suffered less shock when moving them into this medium from their water environment. It is very hot day and night in Florida during our long summers so it might be important to have moisture constantly available to the seedlings to keep them growing constantly.

I really didn't expect such a large difference in their growth rates. We will see if they continue to outpace their siblings as the grow :)

I start all my seedlings in small containers with no holes. During summer, when I water them, I leave water standing in the container. Seedlings seem much less prone to rot.

That is a nice post. Interesting. Thanks for sharing it! They are looking good.