Hey Cal,
I'm going to call you out on a couple of things here. First is your statement that peat is a ph buffer. It isn't a buffer and actually has a typical PH of about 4-5 though some, not the typical Canadian peat, have more neutral ph levels. With your extremely alkaline tap water (8.5 is very high) your peat is probably acting to bring your PH down which does sort of buffer, but it doesn't flux the PH just lower it.
Dolomite lime is essential in any soil mix IMHO mostly because of it's PH buffering abilities. No Dolomite isn't really a true buffer either, but it really only reacts when soil ph is low so most will call it that. Dolomite lime also has many important micro nutrients that make it even more valuable. It is important to state that there are different types of lime and the only ones that are any good are Dolomite and Garden Lime. Hydrogenated, or fast acting are not good to use unless you simply need to raise your ph super fast. they don't act like dolomite to balance ph and don't add any micro nutes.
It is my understanding that Garden lime is dolomite lime that has clay added so that it can be pelitized. Normal dolomite is a fine powder. Some people use garden lime by crushing it first for fear that the large pellets won't mix into the soil well and some people add a little more than the recipe calls for in dolomite because it isn't pure and when measuring it isn't compacted. I don't crush it because I didn't know any better the first time I used it and after a few days of it being in the soil I found no pellets which tells me that it quickly dissolved. I do however use 1.5-2x the amount my recipe calls for when using garden lime over dolomite, YMMV.
The best suggestion I can make for a newb starting out is to use a good amended organic soil recipe. As was stated by another poster, the ability of being able to understand what your plant needs is an art and it doesn't come overnight. Having a good soil mix that takes you from veg to harvest with nothing but water is key to early success. Well, that and proper ventilation! With organics, as you stated, you don't need to flush, and also with organics PH is almost a non-issue. As the micro herd grows in the soil the PH is supposed to fluctuate. This is how the micro herd consumes what it needs and then produces the nutrients that your plant needs.
A few things that will screw up your micro herd are chlorine and chemical fertilizers, so setting your tap water out for a couple of days is a must as is abstaining from any non-organic fertilizers.
I'm sure there are ways to get bigger buds than using a simple mix but a wise man once told me "First learn to grow, then learn to maximize your crop" Well... that was actually some guy in one of these forum's signature but I'm going with him being a wise man on that one statement alone!! That is where I am at. I'm making killer buds and spending almost -0- time trying to figure out what I did wrong!
Here is my soil mix that works for me. I have used Fox Farms Ocean Forest in place of the MG Organic, but the MG works just as well and is 1/3 the price. Most of these items should be available at your local home depot, walmart, or garden center!
1@ 2 cf bag of Miracle Grow Organic Potting soil
1@ 2cf bag of ProMix Organic Potting soil
Blood Meal
Bone Meal
Dolimite/Garden Lime
Perlite
Jersey greensand (optional)
Epsom salts
2@ General Hydroponics Coco bricks (from hydro store or online...optional)
The way I do this is a little odd because I have limited storage place for my mixed soil. It is important with amended organic soil to mix it up and let it cook for a bit before using it. Ideally a few months. I have a garage but live in an upper duplex and it is a PITA to go down to the garage and sneak dirt up every time I want to pot something so I keep my mixed soil in a rubbermade in my closet. The Coco comes into play because I mix my soil at 2x strength and cut it with the coco. The compressed blocks are a convenient way for me to save space and an easy way for me to cut down the mix for seedlings and cuttings. I also use smaller containers for the most part and I like the water holding properties of the coco. It is very important that you get the ORGANIC varieties of each soil as the non organics have chemical time release fertilizers that will mess up your grow!!
so, if you are going to cut it with the coco your can use 1/2 of each soil bag or if you are making it full bore then use the entire soil bags. This recipe is for the 1/2 bag method that I use. Without doing the coco cut just leave all the amounts the same except use the entire bags of soil.
1/2 bag of each of the soils.
1 cup blood meal
1.5 cup bone meal
1/2 cup dolomite or 1 cup garden lime
1 small bag perlite (about 1 cu ft)
1/2 cup Jersey greensand (optional)
1/2 cup Epsom salts
Mix it all in well, and remix every couple of days for the first couple of weeks. Best case scenario is to let this cook for a couple of months before using it, but you can get by using it in a few weeks.
When i plant rooted cuttings or seeds I use 3 pts coco and 1 part mix and when I am repotting I use coco and mix at 50/50. I have some varieties that seem to like it a little hotter and some that seem to like it not so hot and I adjust once I know the plant. Either way there isn't any burning or any major deficiencies. This mix really is set it and forget it.
I use dechlorinated tap water with 1 drop of Super Thrive per gallon, but I don't really know if ST works or not. It is about $4 for 500 or so drops so why not!!! I also use 1 TBS of Unsulfered Blackstrap Molasses every other time I fill my gallon jug. The blackstrap has a few micro nutes in it and maybe a little bit of N, P or K, but the biggest reason to use it from my understanding is to feed the micro herd. Some people say it effects the taste of the buds if you use it in the last few weeks.
I never pull out my ph pen anymore, I never flush before harvest (not that you could with amended soil!) and my grows go smooth as silk with fan leaves yellowing near the end of the grow.
Jed
But if you're a first timer I would recomend soil w out time released ferts, it's easier to get the nutrients right for beginners.
I'm jk, perlite might be usefull, but I actually found it only to be usefull using "cheap" brands as they're soils tend do get too compact. Using a good "fluffy" soil that don't "sets" and perlite is a waste of money in my opinion, I don't htink you need it?! Also one important reminder using perlite....check the pH, some perlite I've come across has a pH range 6,5-7,5, can't imagine this is good, would make the pH in the soil unstable...also some perlite has nutrients, I've heard. I've had just as good yields and potency not using perlite, roots still lookig as healthy. Perlite is in my opinion "over doing things
I was gonna order something different and then Alice just resent my item, I wasn't even asking bout it...if she hadn't I was gonna go for their Jock Horror, it's one of the best highs to me 
