Why is there less and less soil in the succulent pot?

Everyone has raised a particularly interesting question: why is there less and less soil in the pot? Was it "eaten" by the succulents? The reason is actually....

"I used sandy soil mixed with grit to grow succulents. Because of outdoor growing, the grit content is higher. The sandy soil was only meant to help the succulents quickly grow new roots and hold onto the soil firmly, but after a period of time, when I tipped the succulents out, I found it was all grit, and the sandy soil was gone"?

"I once planted a spider plant in a landscape pot, and later it grew bigger and bigger, until it was so top-heavy that it completely flopped over to one side. At that point I wanted to repot it into a larger pot. So after digging it out, I found its root system had grown throughout the whole pot. I had intended to remove all the soil from the roots, but when I put it back into the original pot, I found the potting soil had suddenly decreased a lot. Could it be that the roots 'eat' soil"?

This is a very interesting question. Many succulent growers have asked why the soil in succulent pots keeps decreasing. There are three reasons here, and the third one is the most common.

1. The media we use to grow succulents are all relatively light. Under outdoor growing conditions, when it is very dry, they are also easily blown away by the wind, especially light media like perlite. When top-dressing succulents, it is recommended to choose somewhat heavier top-dressing stones, such as maifan stone or river sand.

2. When we water succulents, because the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot is relatively large, some soil will also be lost along with the water flow. This situation is more common shortly after planting, when the plant roots have not yet stabilized the soil, especially for succulents grown with gritty soil and garden soil. The solution is to place stones or insect-proof mesh at the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot.

3. Materials that are inherently light, such as perlite, coconut coir, and peat, will "puff up" in volume when relatively dry. As watering occurs, the two mix together better, giving the impression that the soil has decreased. Solution: when potting up succulents, it is recommended to use moist soil and plant dry, and when mixing the soil, slightly squeeze it with your hand, but do not deliberately press it too firmly.

In addition, there is another saying that succulents absorb nutrients from the soil, causing the soil to decrease. In fact, the possibility that succulents absorbing nutrients causes soil reduction is almost negligible....