Perlite alternative in soil mix?

Hey all, I've been tweaking the idea of building a new cab after the previous failure and am going over a checklist to avoid screwing up again. I've got lights & ventilation pretty figured out, but soil mixing is one thing that still worries me some. I see that 11 out of 10 soil mix recipes out there say to add perlite up to 50% of the volume. Perlite is hailed as the one miracle conditioning ingredient of uttermost imperative necessity in any soil mix that dreams of being minimally successful. My question is:

What if I cannot get a hold of perlite?

I've searched in RIU and other places but never found a good answer. People talk about styrofoam pellets or gravel, but they all seem to have drawbacks. Of course nothing will have the exact same properties of perlite, but is there anything that does a good enough job?

If your only possible reply is "Dood, you're missing the point, perlite is the way to go!", please refrain from posting it. As I said it's not a matter of option, I just cannot put my hands in perlite where I live, though I'll readily use it in case I have a chance.

So, to stand out in all this rambling, I repeat the question: Is there anything that could replace perlite in a satisfactory way?

Thanks in advance for any light I get to this!

you can find perlite on ebay.. thats where i just got mine for.. under 10 bux plus alittle shippin charge.. but thats a start..

i used to use vermiculite successfully, fairly similar properties..

northwoodsmoker said:

you can find perlite on ebay.. thats where i just got mine for.. under 10 bux plus alittle shippin charge.. but thats a start..

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When you live outside the US, this "alittle shippin" becomes up to 10 times the actual price of the perlite, which is totally impractical... That's what I meant by "I can't get a hold of perlite" and hence the question. Thanks for the reply, anyway.

i dont believe you cant get it

backdoorgrower said:

i used to use vermiculite successfully, fairly similar properties..

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What he said!
If you can't get perlite or vermiculite, wherever you are, just go to your local "garden supply store" and ask them what amendment they have to use for increased drainage.

bar said:

i dont believe you cant get it

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Buddy, believe me, there are a whole bunch of countries around that don't offer the multitude of options in the shelves for every little thing in life. I've been to a bunch of garden supply stores and they've never even HEARD of perlite or vermiculite... And I don't live in a small city. Yeah, sucks, but there's not much I can do about it.

T.H.Cammo said:

What he said!
If you can't get perlite or vermiculite, wherever you are, just go to your local "garden supply store" and ask them what amendment they have to use for increased drainage.

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Or resort to grow pals on the net!

Garden supply stores are of very little help around here, most attendants know shit other than doing the checkout, perhaps a flower or plant shop, the type that actually produce their vases, could help more. I've got a couple of friends who know their way around plants and could guide me, but I want to keep the grow a secret and not ask for their hands-on help and they'd be really suspicious if I start asking soil questions since I don't even have a garden.

While we're at it... What would YOU use for increased drainage other than perlite?