Succulent growers use mostly (75%-90%) pumice, large gravel or perlite plus some organic matter like potting soil or leaf mold. The idea is to not let it dry completely during the growing season, but not suffocate the roots. Roots look like Cymbidium roots.
Hint: These grow a lot faster with heavy fertilizing. Friends in St Louis who never fertilized never got flowers. They're able to flower when they have 3-4 pseudobulbs.
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