40% Canadian peat
30% coarse sand
30% cypress sawdust
10% perlite
All but the sawdust can be found at HD. Around here you can get free sawdust from the fence making people, don't know about other places.

J - Soils like the one above will be very water-retentive. We know this in advance because we can see all the particulates are fine, and to a very large degree water-retention is a function of particle size. Growers might like the added water retention, but plants don't.

Try:

5 parts pind bark fines (size: dust to 3/8")
1 part perlite
1 part sphagnum peat
2/3 - 1/2 cup dolomitic (garden) lime per cu ft or 2 tsp - 1 tbsp. per gallon

or

1 part screened Turface
1 part screened pine or fir bark
1 part crushed granite (granite poultry grit in grower size)

For more information, see the link below.

Al

Here is a link that might be useful: Much more about soils

Al and Plansman, thank you both for the information. Al, I looked for your formulas on the fig page, but did not find it, thanks for the link. Again, thank you both.
Joseph (jstall)

I suggest that you try several different mixes to see what works in your climate. An on the fly mix is Schultz Cactus Mix. You can add peat moss for longer moisture retention or pine fines for a drier mix.

My mix holds just enough water to do well, but it also drains and dies not stay to wet. The past hold the water, but the coarse sand and perlite helps drainage.
I have used this same mix since 1990 and have successfully grown 275 species of palms and 200 species of cycads in this mix, and we get 4 inch rains multiple times in certain weeks. If cycads do well in this mix without rotting, palms will be no problem. The mix stays at a pH of 6.5 to 6.7 for multiple years, so there is no need to altar the pH by using Dolomite. If anyone here has more experience than I have had with these plants, then it wouldn't hurt to listen though.

A thing to keep in mind is that requirement vary between different species. As a generalisation good drainage works well enough. But there are some that would prefer a soggier situation. I've had a Cyrtostachys renda for about 6 years now in heavy soil in a pot that sits in a container that keeps the water about half way up the pot. You can't get more water retentive than that, and the palm is thriving. And there are a number of palms that are fairly similar. But there are others that require rapid drainage. I do use dolomite but mainly for palm (and cycads) that come from limestone areas. It's a matter of "horses for courses". Stick with the advice from people with experience with palms.

I didn't want to confuse anything, but on cycads, I WILL add more pie sand in the mix for things like E. arenarius, horridus, most macrozamias, and blue Australian cycad. You are right with the dealing wax, they need to sit in water to look good and not dry up. Where Dypsis xerophyla needs extra sand. I do alter my main mix for certain special species, but most everything gets the same treatment.