sudmon said: These need fresh soil as quite a bit of soil and nutrients have drained out.
There two different issues you are mentioning:
1) 'Loss of soil'
As in- the soil mass that holds the roots is leaking out the drainage holes, so the soil level in the pot is decreasing. Along with this, it's been mentioned our potting soils (unlike our garden soils) are mostly organic and continue to decay- and this can cause the soil level to drop.
2) 'Loss of nutrients'
As in- the soil structure doesn't contain enough nutrients for maximum plant growth. It may never have had the optimum nutrients, or it did at one time and those were used up by the plant and/or leached out with each watering.
Both can be happening at the same time, to be sure.
But you can treat each as a separate issue. In other words, I would add soil if it needs more soil (or repot,) but look at besides compost for nutrients in potted plants.
For #1- when the soil level is dropping, I top them off a bit, but eventually I repot, as the roots are nearer the bottom of the pot, and I prefer to have them getting into the fresh soil. Adding inches to the top of the soil doesn't generally stimulate additional root growth upwards. Others have mentioned crown rot, another problem.
Sometimes I cheat on the smaller pots...
Tip it on it's side, slide the rootball out, add soil to the pot, slide it back in.
For #2- There are lots of options to fertilize your container plants- even in 'stale' dirt. Liquid fertilizer, or fish emulsion, or sprinkling your favorite granular fertilizer or organic fertilizer onto the soil and mixing it into the top few inches. The package should tell you how much to use for granular or liquid fertilizer, based on pot size. I've used a stick to poke a deep hole into the root zone and then sprinkled some time - release fertilizer into it. Timed-release (like osmocote) needs to be buried to be effective. Do one or the other- time-release or another method, not both!
I also sprinkle rock dust/minerals a few times a year and then tease the top of the soil to mix it in without disturbing the roots. I use granular Azomite- because it's local and therefore cheaper to get for me. Greensand or granite dust might be available to you locally to add minerals to your 'mostly organic' potting soil -filled pots.
Does this give any more ideas?