ok, so I'm new here and very confused. i started this journey couple months ago trying to figure out why i can't keep plants alive. i finally figured out its a mix of soil i use (i need a more forgiving soil & better draining) and i needed to use more terra-cotta/clay pots instead of cheap plastic to help with water evaporation. needless to say i think i finally found most of what i need for 511 & gritty mix. i think I'm going to plant most of my plants in gritty mix and maybe a couple in 511. i have peace lily, bromeliad, spider plants, snake plants, croton, lemon tree, lavender, golden pothos, aloe and other small succulents & sequoia.

now to my questions, between what I've read for 511 & gritty mix I'm kind of confused, so first of all can i do about the same for both mixes, sift everything but for 511 it can be 1/4-3/8" and gritty mix needs to be smaller like 1/8-1/4"??

511 is pine bark fines

coarse perelite/turface/pumice

peat/potting mix

gritty mix is turface/pumica/lava rock (all interchangeable to an extent right?)

pine bark fines

granigrit/chicken grit growers size

also i realized after i got home i bought chicken grit but its starter size, can i still use it? or is it complete garbage?

same issue with turface, finally found place that said they have 'surface' but when i went to buy 3 bags i realized when i got home they loaded my car with thrifty-sorb... when i looked it up online it looks to be similar, am i right?

also i read to soak pine bark fines before planting to help with water retention, is that for both 511 & gritty mix? so do i understand this right, sift for correct size & to get out dust, mix everything then soak for hour? i also read on here to let 511 sit for couple weeks before planting due to 'reaction phase' --thats due to lime right? which would mean gritty mix i can use immediately right?