GD,

I like the straw idea. don't know if it'll actually do anything but it might be worth a shot.

as to the other stuff, as I said, I don't have any access to anything more than what I'm using. I'm stuck with soil less mix unless or until the mushroom farm gets rebuilt. I was thinking that it just needed more perlite. I've tended to stay away from vermiculite as it also tends to hold water.