hi
This is an interesting ?? Always experimenting with different conmbinations and like you was not particularly impressed with the "gritty mix " Think it would be okay indoors but dries out too rapidly outdoors. Currently I'm using 3 combinations all based on the "Palm citrus " mix.
to this I add around a third pine bark fines , for ferns about a third Coir I recently used this on a 3x3 foot pot that contains a bottle palm,.added about a third leca .
For palm seedlings I use straight coir as well as for terrestrial orchids but add leca or perlite . Generally pleased with the mixes but could always use some improvements?? lol Hopefully you'll get some more answers. gary

Thanks Gary. Amending Fl soil is annoying, but not too expensive. A cheap bag of compost/manure runs about a $1.60 and when mixed with the native soil, usually does a good job of retaining water.

Potting soil has been tougher to crack. It's expensive and oftentimes has the consistency of sawdust with a bit of perlite mixed in.

I've considered using a cheap potting mix and mixing some pine bark fines and floor dri in. I think the large bags of Floor Dri are around 7 bucks, and the pine bark fines are a little over $2.

Mixed with a potting soil, there should be SOME aeration but more importantly, plenty of water retention. It's something I'll have to mess around with.

The property I live on was mostly neglected for the last 10-15 years. Leaves were always blown away or picked up and the grass continued to deteriorate, due either to too much sun (and no sprinklers) or from the shade provided by oak trees. Basically, the soil was never amended, naturally or otherwise.
I've done a lot of planting in the soil, but like I mentioned early, I amend it and water a lot. I'm using a lot of pots and trays right now to propagate and house things until the beds are in better shape.

I am no expert. Not by a long shot, so what I do might seem a little low-brow. Since I live on a big sand hill, every time I excavate a hole for a plant, I sift the natural sandy soil and store it. I mix this with a bag of cheap topsoil and half a bag of Black Kow. This gives me a gritty organic (as in full of organic material) soil that so far has worked for my potted plants. I think it might retain a little too much moisture for plants that like drier roots, but I don't really have any plants that meet that description.

The downside is that eventually I will run out of excuses to dig holes in my yard and will have to figure out the same problem you are running into.

I don't have sand any longer, I now have big beds w/mostly roses and keep the soil rich and friable w/horse manure....just find some stables, and take a bunch of garbage cans and shovels...it's FREE...and free is good!! sally

My latest home trial is a product called EarthNourish Planting Mix that I purchased from Big Earth Landscape Supply this summer. So far, it's working well for petunias, persian shield, coleus (huge!), gardenia, and crotons. Have also used in my my earthboxes for tomatoes this fall. I'm thinking it was $5-6 a 2 cu bag. Good drainage and seems to have good retention as well.