I ordered some Peruvian Torch seeds about a month ago, and I've decided it's time to get these puppies growing.

Only problem is, I can't find a consistent soil mixture anywhere. Some recommend potting soil and sand, others sand and verm, does anyone on the Nexus have any mixtures they have had good results with? As well as how you germinated your babies? This goes without saying, but this is my first experiment with any sort of cacti =) so any help would be appreciated.

There are a lot of good sources on the net, but here are some of the lessons I've learned growing trichs/cacti from seed:

for seeds, I've used commercial seedling mix, and a mostly coir mix with success. Most people will recommend sterilizing the soil in the microwave/oven before planting, but I've only had serious problems if I put raw outdoor dirt in the mix. Commercial mix is clean enough ime.

placing the seeds on the top of the soil and misting them works fine ime.

Seedlings need humidity for the first few months, usually accomplished by putting them in a plastic bag or tupperware. This is the time when they are most vulnerable to mold and the most evil sciarid fly larvae. If I see lots of sciarid flies or larvae I immediately start drying everything out and that seems to stop them. I'll try diatomacious earth next time I see those little buggers.

indirect windowsill and then full windowsill light seems perfect for seedlings. Some people like to use grow lights.

for full grown plants, I mix up 1/2 perlite/vermiculite with 1/2 coir, and then I mix in as much fertilizer as I dare on a plant by plant basis. Trichs are notorious for taking a lot of ferts compared to other cacti. Coir is supposed to be better for cacti than peat moss because it is ph neutral instead of acidic.

sharp sand is supposed to be good, but I only ever found "horticultural sand" which is the absolute worst thing to add to cactus soil. Soil mix with 1/4 of this sand almost completely stopped root growth.

Okay so for germination just coir?

And bigger planties move into the coir/verm mixture.

No sand required? Avoids a mess if this is true =)

I have used the mix below for Peyote and other non-psychoactive cacti I have, with good results so far. I would change the JI mix to JI no.1 or JI seed for seedlings as opposed to potting on, as these blends contain less nutrients. If you use too rich a soil you risk damaging the cactus.

For starting off the seedlings themseles, I have used a thin layer of peat based seedling soil, with the mix described beneath it. This assists germination, but allows the seedling to grow into a decent medium. I don't like to repot Peyote for years after it starts. Torch may be more hardy, as it grows a lot quicker.

Personally I have used Irish moss peat (about 10% total), but the pH level of my mix is neutral. I have never used vermiculite or coir, but the rest of the method ouro describes I agree with. Its interesting ouro has had poor results with hort sand, I can't think why this would be, but would be interesed to hear any theories.

Also, I would always make your own mix. A lot of the specialist mixes sold commercially in garden centres are not fit for purpose.

My mix was approx (by volume):

40% John Innes No.2 Compost (use JI no.1 or JI seed if you have very young cacti, as these have less nutrients)
25% Horticultural Sand
15% Horticultural Grit (also used for top dressing)
20% Perlite

If you can't get John Innes no.2 or would prefer to make your own it consists of:
60% Loam
25% Peat
15% Sand
and then with each 10L of mix, add
6g ground limestone
24g bonemeal
24g superphosphate
12g potassium sulphate