the key is very good drainage, difficult when using sand, because it can create a perched water table in your pot/container, which helps bring on the rot. what is in your compost? can you get coir? (careful, it has lots of salt) can you get perlite? any pix?

Hello and welcome to the forum! Where are you located, could you edit your user name to add some country, zone info like we do, it helps a lot when ppl offer advise? Thanks.

Yes, 'sand' isn't regarded as a good ingredient, it can be very close grained and fills every air space and can cause root issues as already noted. Then home made compost is notorious for water retention.

As for other ingredients.....you don't necessasarily have to go to nurseries, they will rarely have the right adenium mix anyway, best as you say, do as the majority of us do and mix your own. I have used aquarium gravel (only because it's from an unused tropical fish set up), pet stores would sell it. Horticultural/alpine gravel/grit is what I use now, all these have sizes of 1/4 down and are ideal for making up mixes. Perlite is readily available here in the U.K. from garden centres and household stores, as is reptibark from pet stores again. The perlite needs to be sifted to get rid of the dusty elements, don't breathe it in btw. My mix is equal parts perlite, bark chips, gravel and pre bagged cactus/succulent mix, it's what works for me given my conditions, but bear in mind that mine grow indoors year round. It needs to be tweaked to suit your area etc. These are just a few alternatives that may help you find a mix suited to your growing.

Gill