I've only had experience growing Echeveria from seed, so please keep that in mind. I've sown over 600 seeds last year with maybe 50% success rate for most. (One of the varieties only 4 out of 100 seeds germinated, but I think the temp was wrong for those). High humidity is absolutely necessary to get them to germinate. I actually sat all my pots in water while waiting for the seeds to sprout.

My process was to place 2in pots filled with sterilized soil into a sterilized Tupperware container filled 1/3 with water. Then place the seeds on top of the wet sterilized soil with a skewer. Then put the lid on. That way the seeds would not be disturbed by any overhead watering. I kept it in a warm environment near some bright indirect light and was able to see if anything sprouted through the clear lid by using the flashlight on my cell phone. I did not open for at least a week, or maybe two. Once I saw that there were some sprouts, I cracked the lid open, but just a little. They were still sitting in water, so humidity was still very high with condensation forming on the lid and sides of the container. I did open the container to take a photo, 5 out of 10 Ebony seeds germinated in this batch.

Once they got a little larger I opened the lid a little more and more but then I had a MAJOR problem with fungus gnat larvae eating the roots and leaves of my seedlings and killing them. So then I had to remove all the seedlings out of the soil with tweezers and a needle and put them into gritty mix. Took forever, but got rid of the bugs.

Once they were past this stage they got stronger. I moved them to a protected area outside, this is from last month:

I think light helps in the beginning of the germination process to provide some warmth for the seeds. Once they have sprouted, of course, the light becomes more vital. I didn't use any light/sun filter for the seedlings in the form of a paper or paper towel. There were some points where I put the tupperware underneath my red and blue LED lights, which were positioned about 10-12inches above.

Some of the others:

Hope this helps, I am still trying to figure out what works best in my climate. I water them frequently since the pots are small and get dried out pretty fast. Some more seedling pics can be found on my instagram.

Hey Steph, thanks for sharing your experiences. It's cool to see you've had some success.

There's definitely an art to growing these tiny succulent seeds. You'll find a lot of different opinions from different people. Like I said in my OP, I've made a lot of mistakes, but I'm learning what works through a process of deduction.

I've never heard of anyone soaking their pots during the entire germination process. I've read and learned that that's the best way to water your seeds, since overhead watering can damage the seedlings. I've also read that certain succulents can rot if the plants themselves stay wet too long. I'm guessing that soaking your pots is what caused the fungus and gnat infestation you described. But then, you had a higher success rate than I've had so far, though I think it varies from genus to genus. I actually killed my only aeonium seedling by soaking it overnight. Echeveria may be more tolerant to that.

I started another round of crassula seeds a few days ago. I did things a little differently. I used sifted soil for the top layer in the pot, where before I used cacti/succulent mix right out of the bag, which has a lot of chunks of bark that prevent some seeds from growing. I also completely sealed the pot with Saran Wrap and left less of a gap between the top of the soil and the plastic, hoping to create more humidity.

One thing I've read a number of times is that air circulation is important in germinating small succulent seeds. The instructions I got from cactusstore.com recommended keeping the pots sealed until the first seeds germinate, then cracking it to allow for air flow. Evidently certain gases build up inside of completely sealed pots, and it's important to allow it to escape.

One thing I forgot to mention is that I normally use fungicide for germinating both cacti and succulents. I can't say for sure but it seems like it increases the success rate. It definitely doesn't hurt it. It might prevent fungus infestation like the one you had to deal with.

Anyhow, I'll comment again in a few days after I see what happens in this round.

Thanks again.

So, my next attempt at growing crassula didn’t go well. I didn’t use fungicide, like I normally do. I had about 15 sprouts but all but one rotted. So I guess the moral of the story is that you need to sterilize your soil well or use a fungicide, as this particular genus at least is very susceptible to death by fungus.

Steph, your seedlings look amazing! Such beautiful colours. Mine look really ugly, most likely due to various pests that I can't do anything about because the only pesticides that work aren't available here.