Can adding to much perlite to a soil mixture be bad? I'm trying to make a faster draining soil with what I have. The only thing I have to play with now is Promix HP and a bag of Perlite and vermiculite. 

I received a fig from a member here but it isn't doing so good. I went back to the email i got about the fig awhile ago that stated they grow the tree in a fast draining mix and water every day. The fig is a Ficus Afghanistanica which I guess from it's background doesn't like moist soil too often. 


So I would like to know if it possible to make a soil like that from what I have or do I have to add something else to the mix. Will using Miracle Grow Cactus soil hurt the tree? That's should be a fast draining soil right? 

Jarrett,

HP is High Porosity, already a fast draining mix. 

http://www.pthorticulture.com/en/pro-mix-hp-mycorrhizae-growing-medium/

Ditto what above poster said.

Adding perlite to a soil isn't bad, it's just wasteful. I'd start fresh and make a batch of soil with perlite,bark fines, gravel, whatever else you have with decent size.

I think I added too much vermiculite when I made this batch. It seems to be holding too much moisture, I didn't see as much mycorrhizal on the roots as my pineapple plant. The roots on it seems fuzzy and hairy. Since the mycorrhizal is a fungus it should do better in a more aerated soil.