Indoor Gardening and Houseplants: A Discussion about Houseplant Soils (long post), 1 by tapla

tapla wrote:
I'd like to stay focused on houseplant soils, but the photo you linked to, if they are not roots, are likely rhizomorphs (it means 'root forms') of some fungi, perhaps Armillaria cords, but I'm unsure of the exact binomial name.

I'm not sure if you'll find crushed granite in FL. I generally find that the near-coastal states use some form of crushed shellfish shells for grit, and that would be inappropriate. You could use VERY coarse swimming pool filter sand though. It comes prescreened and should be at least 1/2 BB size or larger. Finer sand does promote drainage in soils, but it also clogs macropores & robs aeration, so I never use it. If you're serious about making/trying the soil in the picture, I'll make a call or two for you. I have connections in the bonsai community in Daytona & I could scout up what's available.

Remember - it's not important what we use in the soil, as long as it's not poison to plants & it holds the right mix of air & water. One substitute for Turface is Haydite. Another is a product called 'Play Ball', so if you really want to go through a little searching for the ingredients (all rather inexpensive), you can build a soil that serves so well you'll never wish to go back to a peat-based soil again. I know I never will. ;o)

Here is the approximate size of pine bark you should look for (in the photo below). In the middle, is another soil that you can use that will outlast a peat-based soils several times over. It will initially perform as well as the gritty mix in the picture upthread, but will not last as long. Still, it will last up to three years in many cases, where peat soils have already begun to collapse badly before a year is out.

Good luck.

Al