Hydroton as soil

Hey guys and gals, I was wondering if anyone has tried to use Hydroton clay pellets as soil without using it in a hydro setup. i.e. taking a 5 gal bucket filling it with the pellets and just watering as you would soil? Any advice? think this would work? Thanks

yeah this would work out great if you did not care about growing a plant with a root system that could hold up against a hairdryer