I would stay away from the sand. The king gravel sounds to big. The pea gravel sounds like it could work. I get my lava rock & granite grit from http://www.alliedbuilding.com/ they have a lot of locations in california you should see if they have one near you.
As far as turface ive tried a substitute version that they sell at grainger http://www.grainger.com/product/MOLTAN-Universal-Absorbent-6RKH9?opr=APPD&pbi=6RKH8 they have locations throughout California as well. Hope that helps.

Thanks... but yeah if I'm in US I should be okay, but in Canada I can't find them in nurseries or big box stores, and most sites don't deliver to Canada.
I did find this on the canadian grainer site though. Is it the right one? Moltan OPTISORB 20LB
https://www.acklandsgrainger.com/AGIPortalWeb/WebSource/ProductDisplay/globalProductDetailDisplay.do?item_code=FLD20

Sorry, I was thinking California when I saw the .ca in you name.

That product seems to do the same thing as the link i sent you, same brand as well. Might be worth a try, i would put some in water for a couple days to test before you put it in your plants. Some of these materials are known to break down over time and turn to mush. I noticed on the same page there's a link to a 25 pound paper bag for less.

Ah nevermind... that website/company doesn't sell it to public, I have to be in some sort of company. And I just did a web search can't find it elsewhere.

I guess I would give pea gravel a try then? 3/8 inch won't be too big for smaller pots right?

EDIT: Actually I found out a rock store sells granite grit around my area, is that better than pea gravel or about the same?

This post was edited by DavidL.ca on Thu, Jun 26, 14 at 14:11

Gosh,
I thought the ca. was for California too. :-/
David,
Do you have any pet shops near by that carry natural aquarium gravel?
The pea gravel sounds kind of large to me for small plants.
Hopefully others will chime in soon~
JoJo

farm feed and supply centers and some tactor sales areas often carry poultry grits

3/8 is on the bigger size, i prefer 1/4 inch for my grit. If you can get a place that sells granite grit you might have a better chance of getting the size you want. If you search gran i grit gritty mix you will find a lot of info as far as size to look for. Usually the preferred sizes are. (3/32"-3/16") or (3/16"-5/16")

Also, if there is a garden supply yard near you that sells big quantities of soils, rocks, etc. they may also sell those big pieces of slate or flagstone.
What you want to do is ask them if you can collect the tiny pieces that come off these large pieces in the normal course of storage, sale, etc. The tiny little chips and such are not salable and they might let you have some for free.
Then you can put these in some cloth and break these up with a hammer at home (so no pieces are lost) and you have a nice draining element. I've used such little chips and shards with my sempervivums.
Just a thought.
.

Thanks you guys for the help!

@jojo haha yea seems to be a common confusion xD. Yes petsmart have some aquarium gravel, but I heard it has to be non-glossy. Would these be alright?
http://www.petsmart.ca/supplies/gravel-sand/marina-decorative-aquarium-creek-gravel-zid36-18694/cat-36-catid-300072?var_id=36-18694&_t=pfm%3Dsearch

http://www.petsmart.ca/supplies/gravel-sand/caribsea-super-naturals-aquarium-gravel-zid36-16743/cat-36-catid-300072?var_id=36-16743

@CDCFRMS @nomen_nudum
I called one of the feed store and they said they don't carry granite grit but has gravel sizing at 1/2, 3/4 and pea gravel which is 3/8".. so I think those are all too big. Another thing they said they carry is limestone screening, he said it's quite fine but not sand-like, more coarse. I attached a picture I found on google

David,

where in Canada are you?
I buy chicken grit in 50lb bags, and also can get turface.

Rina

Thanks nomen for the pics! I have a much better idea what to look for now!

@rina I'm in Toronto! Didn't know you're Canadian :D. I guess I'm just kind of clueless on where to get these things. Where do you buy yours?

Yup, Canadian...lived in TO 45 yrs.

I get chicken grit from North York Farmers;17435 Leslie St; Newmarket, ON; (905) 895-5172

You may be able to google another farmer supplies store if Newmarket is too out-of-way for you...

I have to find my notes about turface...
Rina

This post was edited by rina_ on Thu, Jun 26, 14 at 22:18

Cool! I thought I'm all alone on this forum.. haha I dunno seems like Canadians aren't that into succulents and cacti, we're always slow on trends, ha.
Thanks for the numbers! Would be great to know about turface too, cuz so far every place I ask they give me an universal answer of "HUH?"

Turface can be subsituted for Napa products floor dry or oil dry other same type products have beenfound at most any Auto/car parts stores.

See also turface distributers locator on link
http://www.turface.com/distributors/state