i like what you had to say,only one thing that sticks out,he has to know exactly what the ph of compost is,dont freak hear me out,they make a kit that you use to harvest your compost for use,with that said and im in same boat ,dont have cash for trinkets,but remember this,peat moss is used to drop ph levels,wood ash raise it,i use wood ash because it doesnt stay in the soil as long as lime,lime and bone meal clash,bone is great for flowering on out if you dig,in all my mixs i stay at a 6.5 ph,some plants want more ,some less ,just comes down to strain,in that event,then you add nutrients to adjust,but never under or over 6.5 for the flowers,i make my own compost as well,when i think it is ready to spread,i put some bean seeds in there,beans grow fast,so by judging how fast or not the test dummy does is when i use the compost,i think that damn test is solvita,but they have soil and compost test you do at home,trick is the 250 for the kit,so the bean planting works well for a broke dick hahahh,last season i went to kiddie wood chips used on school yards,and it has been the best in my opinion for air,in clay soil works like a charm,i even made a little to do in the tent and rocked out very well,i dont like perlite so the chips were the best for me,i cant get down that hill to the garden very often and the chips absorb any moisture to include and nutrients,so turns out as great amend,anyway long drug out example ,i suggest check your ph and see which way you need to go for that ideal 6.5 and adjust from there,if you dont know your ph of any media or water,banging head against a wall that dont give,hahahah