I've personally used fox farms ocean forest, canna's bio terra, and I'm using promix HP right now.
Here are the pros and cons of each that I'm aware of so far:
Fox Farms -
Pro: It's relatively inexpensive and has a lot of nutrients already added.
Con: It needs amendment for best results. I would always add perlite for aeration/drainage and dolomite lime for cal/mag and pH control (the latter is CRITICAL, IMO, I had tons of pH problems and cal/mag issues before I started adding dolomite). It is also very messy. It's dirt, so it gets everywhere. Can be a little hot for seedlings due to the nutrient pre-charge.
Canna Bioterra -
Pro: I really like this stuff, except for the problems listed in con. I used it to veg a ton of girls in it with absolutely no amendment. It is pH stable and precharged with nutrients, so you probably won't need to feed anything for a couple of weeks. It works really well, but there are a couple of problems that I had with it. 100% "organic," and claims to be reusable, though I am not a big fan of reusing indoor potting soil, so I haven't tried.
Con: Expensive (I think I paid something like $22 for a bag). Also, it holds a little too much moisture, so if you are watering from the top, without adequate drying time you will have issues with fungus gnats. I will probably use this mix again when I have an ebb and flow table set up, since watering it from the bottom will lead to far fewer problems with gnats.
Promix HP (with Mycorise Pro is the type I have, I think there are others) - I'm still early into my experience with this, but here's what I have so far.
Pro: It's peat like canna bioterra, though not as chunky/spongy, and it has perlite for drainage/aeration. It drains well and dries out faster than bioterra. It's pre-limed with dolomitic and calcitic lime, so pH control won't be a problem. Pre-inoculated with beneficial fungi. Pre-fertilized with what looks like about a week worth of nutrients.
Con: I could only get it in a 3.8 cu ft bale, which was a little annoying, since I just wanted to test it out. Not as well pre-charged as ocean forest or bioterra, so you'll want to feed it sooner, but that's not a problem for me this run because I'm using biocanna's nutrient line which I've had no problems giving to even relatively young plants.
Hope this helps. As far as nutrients, I like Cutting Edge Solutions and Biocanna so far. I have a bunch of other lines that I haven't tested yet, including House and Garden, PureBlend Pro, and General Organics. I'm not a big fan of fox farms because when I first started using it, I found out very quickly that it's not pH stable, so once you mix your nutrient solution you need to pH it. If you don't do this, your plants will let you know right away.
I've heard really good things about biobizz, and I will probably test some of the other canna lines at some point in the near future.
I know people who have had good results with advanced nutrients, and I am using a couple of their additives (big bud and final phase). However, I was a little put off by the fact that when they visited my local hydro shop they weren't willing to let me try out their nutes. They gave me some bud candy, which I used for a while, but once my buds all started smelling the same, I got worried and cut it off. The issue that I have with advanced is that there are too many things in their line. I find it very hard to believe that they need to have each of their additives separated the way that they do, and feel like it's a pretty obvious attempt to simply sell more product. I'm also not crazy about their marketing. I admit that they are ballsy, but by marketing the way that they do (targeting medical MJ), they make it risky for hydro shop owners to carry their stuff, which is another reason that I'm not really that interested in them other than a few ingredients.
i need a lil more advise on wat i really should use, and im definately using gh flora nova nutes no mater wat, but wat to use for the medium is the question, i heard that botanicare cocogro boss is a real good medium but plz sum one help, my current grow is amost done and i need to get something as soon as possible?+reppppp
