Your best answers are going to be found through the sales reps of the manufacturers. Most of the people who familiar this forum are #1) not professional growers and #2) wouldn't spend money on soil products to save their life. As far as comparisons of container media components, most research is done by companies themselves. They have a problem, be it lack of consistent supply or quality, or they don't like a certain aspect of a component (using rice hulls as a substitute for perlite because of dust), so they seek out alternatives. they may look to a university for a lead, but in the end, their primary reference data is going to come from mulling over the data presented by the supplier. There is a certain amount of university research, but it's mostly done to support a culture recommendation for growing a crop or how to use a commodity that's locally available rather than import a component. (Do you see an underlying theme of economics?) One could make the argument that most nurseries use compost in their potting mix. One could also make the argument that the same nurseries most definitely do not use "compost", they use an engineered media as perfected as possible. Indeed, in CO, cut flower growers do not qualify as ag producers...they are viewed as a factory. Anyone want to propose a theory as to why you'd want to be viewed as a factory when it comes to the production of plants? In general, nurseries would not say they compost. They would say they blend their own media, not soil. The potential risk of pathogen is simply too great. Ever try to return your plant container? Most places I've been, they'll take it, then put it in the trash. Same reason. As regards the products mentioned, I've not heard of Zeba at all, and I've heard of/discussed coir, although not actually used it. Comments have been positive, although generally comparable to peat. Mostly, it comes down to local factors and cost input data. If it were me, I'd ask the reps if I could talk to people who have used them, and perhaps even run a batch of each and see how things turned out. This is trade show season...go, look, listen, chat...and from it all, make your own decision. That's the only one that counts.

I use bermuda grass and then whatever is growing in the pastures...which is virtually everything. I wouldn't use bermuda grass if it had formed seedheads. That batch would go into the compost pile so the heat of composting could sterilize the seeds. To prevent anything in the grass clippings OR the soil from sprouting and growing up through the mulch, lay down newspaper or cardboard and then pile on the mulch. If there is any wind, wet down the cardboard or newspaper as you lay it down so it won't blow away before you pile on the mulch. The newspaper or cardboard serves as a barrier. Weed seed beneath it cannot sprout because of the darkness and if it sprouts, it generally cannot penetrate the paper or cardboard. Weed seed on top of the cardboard or paper may sprout, but any plants that sprout in the mulch can't grow down through it and it is easy to pull them out of the mulch when you notice they've sprouted. As a bonus, earthworms adore newspaper and cardboard so having them on the ground attracts them to your soil and since they improve the soil, that's a plus. A couple of tips: 1) Never use any grass clippings from lawn treated with herbicides, including weed and feed fertilizers; 2) If the grass is holding a lot of moisture after it is cut, I leave it in the garden cart or wagon for a day or two and let it dry and then I spread them on the beds; 3) If you have cut tallish bermuda in humid, hot conditions (especially in late spring/early summer) and think chiggers might be lurking in there, spray yourself with an insect repellent before you spread the grass clippings. Then, after you're done, scrub yourself thoroughly to remove any that may be climbing around on you. I have chigger issues about once a year after spreading grass clippings DH has cut and it usually happens in late May or early June. 4) Be very picky about your grass clippings. If neighbors see and understand what you're doing and offer you theirs, make sure their lawns haven't been chemically-treated. 5) If you have an issue with snails, slugs, pill bugs or sow bugs be sure you leave a little open space (at least 1/4") between the mulch and plant stems so you can spot those little buggies and sluggies and kill them dead. (I just sprinkle Slug-Go Plus in that little open area so they can find something to eat. It is just a bonus that the 'something' they find to eat kills them.) Dawn

Below is a map across USA to check what type of soil one has: From the above pic, I'm in the gray area, with Mollisols soil, "Mollisols are characterized by a significant accumulation of humus in the uppermost layer, which is almost always formed under native grass vegetation. They are highly arable soils used principally for growing grain and cereal crops." When my house was built, the builder got soil across the street (from the cornfield) to top my garden. From Wikipedia: "Mollisols' parent material is typically base-rich and calcareous and include limestone, loess, or wind-blown sand." True, I'm next to a limestone quarry. My clay in IL is black like the below pic. of drummer silty clay loam, but more clay thus clump together. If you google "soil type for YOUR STATE", it will bring up link like below for my Illinois. https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/education/Pages/ILStateSymbols.aspx "Drummer silty clay loam is a rich, fertile prairie soil that was declared the Illinois State Soil in 2001. This dark, deep soil was first identified in Ford County in 1929. It can be found in 1,500,000 acres of land in Illinois. Drummer is one of the most fertile and productive soils in the world. The topsoil of drummer silty clay loam is about 16 inches deep and is very dark brown to black in color.One reason for the large layer of topsoil is the prairie vegetation that grew above it. As deep roots from the prairie grasses died and decomposed, they left behind nutrients and organic matter in the soil. The subsoil layer is more than two feet thick. This layer is gray-brown and has more clay particles in it than did the topsoil layer. The gray color comes from moisture that is locked in the soil. The bottom layer, or substratum, starts three and a half to five feet below the surface. This layer is dark gray with spots or “mottles” of OTHER colors and is made up mostly of soil material called loam. Few plant roots can penetrate this soil." Below is how the top 1 foot of my clay looks like (Drummer Silty Clay). I also have lots of limestone and dolomitic lime mixed in ... a few rocky spots have chicory weed (blue flowers, very pretty). From the web: Chicory It is common along roadsides and in other wild, untamed areas, especially in limestone soils. Below pic. is the icky-clay-loam, at below 3 feet, roots can't go through this dense layer so I throw it away since it impedes drainage. "When it is very wet, it swells to retains water, which makes it difficult to work with. Over time, this poor drainage can also stunt plant growth." https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-clay-loam.htm Zillion-petals roses like the top pic. of black clay: calcium & magnesium rich alkaline clay. Magnesium is what makes clay clumps together or "sticky". Black clay is also rich in iron, and red roses are most vigorous in my garden. Red roses have a higher need for iron.

No worries, I understand where you were likely coming from, there's a lot of people who don't know much about plants and make wild assumptions, thereby giving themselves a lot more work than they need to. I am not one, and I could have been clearer on that point. Just trying to join the community and ask questions when I'm considering something new. I've learned a lot from many of the posts on here over the years, (only recently started posting), and see it as a knowledgeable community with brains to pick before I waste time on something that may not be helpful. Most of my plants are rescues that have taken years and a lot of hard work/research to cultivate and return to a state of health, and that includes my "problem" tree who needs the vinegar. Of my epiphyte collection I have two massive orchids that are something of a prized posession seeing as one of them is highly fragrant and blooms yearly, and the other keeps its massive blooms for a year at a time. I accidentally burned one of them when using vinegar to try to get some of its sap off of my kitchen table, and have been careful ever since. I do occasionally have to leave my plants in the care of others (not this year, for obvious reasons), so I try to keep their watering instructions to "give water until some is in the drip tray" and that's all. Purpose of the thread was to see if anyone had any success adding soil amendments that might overcome alkaline water and eliminate the need for correcting water PH for those plants that are sensitive, thereby simplifying regular watering requirements. So far I've found very little in my research that would be helpful, though I continue to search.