Hi, Andy. Caviat; i’ve only been doing this a couple years. That being said, I think it depends on what you’re trying to do. In so far as anything that will retain moisture is a growing medium for anything in the plant kingdom, the answer to your question is nuanced. I use 100% cat litter (much cheaper) for most of my trees and they do just fine. In my opinion, in every case it comes down to your watering practice. Some media retain water better than others. Some release water more slowly (e.g. “turface”), some faster. Classic “Boon” mix combines moisture retentive materials that hold/release water at different levels/rates and that benefit root ramification. I think Ryan’s preference for acadama is due to its porosity which allows/promotes fine root growth which in turns breaks up the clay which promotes better soil retention. Scaling, I think he calls it. See; “nuanced”. And I bet you’re sorry you asked.
BTW. Anybody. Please feel free to correct me if I’m mistaken.