Have you considered changing the ratio of Bark:Turface:Grit? I know it's mentioned on some other threads that you can change it to something like a 3:4:2 or even 3:5:1. I've been experimenting with some different ratios for some of my plants that like a little more water.

Coarse sand is a common ingredient in container media. The percentage rarely exceeds 10%.

@Travis, yes 3:4:2 is my standard gritty mix. I am just noticing that some plants want a bit more water and I'm experimenting around different ideas on who to provide that without going to 511 and potentially providing too much water for a succulent.

@Nil13 10% is what I remember hearing as well, but do you know of any studies that might document the reasons for that limit?

One thing I have wondered is won't the sand tend to fall to the bottom of the pot and you will end up having just a bunch of sand and a perched water table down at the bottom?

I think the main limit of 10% ,for nurseries, is weight, tbh.

Westes: Strange that you are having problem with 3:4:2 (bark:turface:grit I presume) for a succulent. What kind of succulent is it? I have limited variety and I either use 1:1:1 gritty and for cactus I get rid of the bark too. You can try 2:3:1 and that will up the water retention. I use that for some tropicals.

@tropicofcancer, for example, this String of Pearls seems to want more water.

What is the mix you are using for cactus? I am having problems with all of my Euphorbias in gritty mix getting root rot, when left outside during Winter.

@Westes have you thought of substituting a calcined diatomaceous earth for the Turface? It's supposed to be able to hold more water. I have a string of pearls I transplanted to 3:4:2 with DE and it's growing very well now. Although, I'm sure our climates are quite different.

@Travis Diatomaceous Earth will not hold up as well over time. I really want to avoid a need to constantly repot.

For cactus I use 1:1 grit to turface. In winter I bring my succulents indoors and they spend the winter under lights next to a window. And I water maybe every 1-4 weeks. I water P. afra every week or so, Jades and other succulents every 2 weeks or so. If you protect your succulents during winter month from rain may be you can prevent root rot more easily.