I guess this is the right spot after snagplus post to ask a question.

1. How long can sterile, nutrition-less perlite can hold alive rooted cuttings without fertilization. I never had enough cuttings to experiment.
Is moisture and oxygen enough to keep it alive?

2. If I use good horticultural Perlite, is there such thing as over-watering or frequent-watering since the water is supposed to pass through the chunky Perlite through a number of holes at and near the bottom.

3. I could not find Schultz Horticultural perlite when I needed so I opted for perlite from Miracle-Grow and I can solemnly say I will never buy MG perlite unless there is size grading on the bag and I know about the size grading.

Edit: MG perlite grain size was very small compared to Schultz perlite in the bags bags I bought recently. Schultz granular size appeared almost 3 times bigger than MG's.

Grant and Ottawan, I have used straight perlite, the coarse variety with great success.  Whats great about this forum is that everybody has their favorite recipe but for me perlite works best.  I get it from someone on ebay called I think down home town perlite.  Huge bags are cheap but depending where you live shipping becomes an issue.  I have a gigantic bag of pro mix bx that got rained on and now its so heavy I cant move it.  It must weigh 500 lbs.  What does that say?  Way too moisture retentive for my liking.  Also as Tapla says not inert enough and can carry harmful damping off spores.  The perlite gets me to the point where I can bring the plant outside and then I fertitilize, not before.  I have had very few, if any mold problems using straight perlite.

Ed 

Ed, I appreciate what you are saying. Too many cuttings are lost to pathogens during the winter time by stem or root rot in some soil mixes. So for precious cuttings, I initialize the cuttings in the baggie method (& small roots too if I get delayed) and then take it perlite. I feel the cuttings are safe in perlite from pathogens. However, I am still concerned with over-watering, frequent-watering and under-watering.
That is why I am asking if there is such thing as over-watering or frequent watering while using perlite only. I feel that with good size perlite, water easily flow out through the holes on the bottom. How often can I water that will not cause problem to the roots or stem. I know I may be able to see the moisture on the side but the rest of perlite look dry and I feel like helping.
I had read somewhere (don't we all say that!) that with perlite only one can water every days since it drains away.
How cautious should we be with watering in perlite only medium?

Others use a moisture meter.  Probably not a bad idea.  You should be cautious when watering any medium.  I just use my finger into the mix and try to judge by the condensation on the interior of the container. 

Ed

Aha, I was thinking containers in general for established plants with fertilizer.  I see what you are saying.  That's good you didn't mean established plants.  I thought you had found out something bad about the slow-release fertilizer.

noss

Al good call on the perlite..
I was just thinking about just using the small bags from Lowes,,then I looked online and I can get the 4 cubic ft bags for $33.00 total brought to my door. With gas over $3.00 a galon, paying that much for the little bags plus the time driving to town and back I can justify paying it no prob...

no problem grant I thought it was a winner......

I will order some coarse perlie this weekend.

I'm thinking I will use stuff I already have to complete the mix.. ...... I have plenty of peat, reg perlite (plus I will have coarse perlite) potting soil and manure... I don't have any lime pellets...
After talking to Mike/winterville, seeing what martin uses and read all the replies on the thread I am going to make my own I just have one more question........... how airy should the mix be... I know from that some people use straight perlite so it can be very airy,, and then thinking on what Jason said about watering in our Ga. Climate... I know I want a mix that I don't have to water all the time but I would like it to be airy for the roots.... I would like to lean toward the "wet" side of a potting mix,, around where is the line to being "to wet"/ holds to much moisture ????

Grant when you first pot up new cuttings you want it very airy and no lime or fertilizer.  just use perlite 60 % and 40 % compost.  These are new cuttings with healthy root mass going into one gal pots for the first time. Then place pots in the shade (filtered sunlight like under a tree)for two weeks to adjust to the new pots.  Once they start growing again i give my plants a shot of half strength miracle grow once a week and move them into full sun this helps to jump start the new trees. This can be done all summer long for new trees  from cuttings. year two I move my trees from one gal pots to 2 gal or 2.5 gal pots these trees get the mixture of perlite 40%, compost 60%, powdered lime (not pelitized you want powdered like for ball fields) one-two lb and 1/4 cup osmocote indoor outdoor fetilizer. The lime discussion is probably saved for another thread. but you can see the final container soil is a long way off for newly rooted cuttings.

Will Manure compost be ok??

as long as it is composted down it will be fine I use pig manure for my compost. I have seen horse manure supposedly composted down but it still contains straw and in my opinion that should be broken down before it is considered compost.  My composted pig manure has been cooking for over a year and has absolutely no odor or resemblance of manure. 
Also remember manure compost is full of nutrients and natural occuring fertilizers so go easy on new trees.
More is not always better unless you are talking about money.haha

I have some cow compost from lowes that I didn't use last year out in the shed, can't think of the name but its in a yellow bag, it is very composted..

After they get going I will prob use horse manure mixed with wood chips since its free and there is tons of it.. when they are in the ground I am thinking I can mix it with hay straw and use it as mulch/fertilizer,,,,, almost free and a LOT of it around here...(bales of hay straw where about $1.25 a bale last year,,I use it for beding and in nest boxes for the chickens,, then as mulch).............. tbw the horse manure wood chips are in a long mound so u put fresh on one end and use the stuff on the other end so its aged and composted,, the pile is about 12 feet high and the usable end is aged for atleat 2 years

I will be going BIG this spring, too much soil needed for all my gardening needs.  I figured that I can get a good general purpose mix and add perlite as needed for additional drainage for large  pots. I'll be using up to 25 gallon pots for figs and citrus and I'll be stepping up my desert roses. There is a nursery soil supplier in South Florida that is just awesome, they will customize any mix with all ingredients available. I figured I can load 3 cubic yards in my full size pickup and that will hold me for a while, for about $25 per yard.
http://www.atlaspeatandsoil.com/