bboy, The native soil is complete clay and digging only loosens the soil until the next rain comes. I have had good success with amending the soil both by growing green manure crops and by adding coconut coir based mix. The coconut coir has a high amount of fertilizer which is lacking in the native soil. I wasn't a proponent of legalized marijuana but I have enjoyed their leftovers. No plant is given more care than the MJ plants; only the highest grade of potting mix and fertilizers will do. The supply seems to be unlimited as I have been getting a trailer full each week. I understand where you are coming from but nothing will grow in the clay/river rock mix, which was my soil. Even a pick-ax wouldn't make a dent. The improvement in my soil has been remarkable. The rocks have been sifted out as much as possible and organic matter added to a depth of about a foot so far. Which is why I was worried about putting the cacti in the soil that had more organic matter than the typical cacti would need. A few years ago I did try simply putting in good soil on top of the clay and not blending but this did not work. The good soil on top dried up almost instantly and the plants could not be kept alive without constant watering. When the soils were mixed they did much better. Where my house was built it was native prairie that would not sustain anything but the toughest of native grasses. The only way for me to have anything but xeriscape-type plants is to amend the soil. I use less water now than I did, which is actually surprising.

I'm glad you are pleased with your results - There is a comparison here however you might find interesting reading. Here is a link that might be useful: USU Coir comparison study

I also have found coco coir to be excellent for seed germination. Coir is going to be superior peat for this for the same reason a paper towel is. It actually allows the seed to stay consistently moist. Peat dries out faster and doesn't have a reliable pH. You also don't have to worry about a bunch of sticks with coco. No nutes necessary for germination. The seed has its own food. Problem is, you have to transplant pretty soon or use liquid fertilizer if you use a medium without nutrients. I make soil blocks with a coco coir/vermicast/sifted compost mix so I don't have to worry about a quick transplant. Coco also won't mold or grow moss and algae on it like peat moss does. At least not until you put nutrients on it. It's just you adding the nutes instead of a pump. There is a very good reason peat isn't used for hydroponics but coco is. Coco is more stable, nearly all brands desalinate as they know the hydro industry is their number 1 customer - so normally no worries concerning salt, and it it's great for aeration because it doesn't break down as fast as peat moss. In fact, I sterilize, desalinate, and reuse the coco for my hydro plants. It lasts at least 3 growing cycles of tomatoes and many more for lettuce (shorter cycles is why). For anyone thinking, "But I don't do hydro," keep in mind that potted plants that require liquid fertilizer is hydro. It's just you adding the nutes instead of a pump. I hold no illusion that coco is more environmentally friendly. I did, because I fell for the media hype. But the reality is otherwise and I now definitely recognize this.

The coir is the big, fibrous husk that few people have ever seen. It can be salty because some plantations are located where salt water might be taken up by the roots and translocated to that huge husk. I'm not talking about the inner hard shell. The salt can be rinsed out, if it already hasn't been during the packing process. Coconut forests crop up at the edge of tropical oceans and seas. The coconuts drop off when ripe and are carried off in ocean currents until they make landfall elsewhere. They are genetically programmed to germinate and grow in salt water.