You may want to check out Gen's comments on starting in perlite...I started a few in peat pellets and a few in perlite (with some vermiculite on top to prevent algae growth). Im happy with the results. shots are a week or so after germination. I just used a yogurt container with holes in the bottom. The container is placed in a shallow dish filled with water. I transfer the yogurt containers to a dwc system when they can start taking nutes. Good luck.