Do you have a preference?  Why?

I purchased a bag a vermiculite today, I thought I would give it a try with the rooted cuttings.  I think the figs might like it since it is a bit on the alkaline side and does have some minerals compared to the perlite which is neutral ph and has no minerals.

Do you have a preference?  Why?

I don't use vermiculite as it holds quite a bit of water and I have too much of a problem with excess moisture as it is.  Perlite helps keep plenty of aeration.  I add 10% sphagnum moss which seems to work to help keep just enough moisture.

I like Vermiculite as a stand alone, but I'm always looking for a better way and changing up. I had good success with vermiculite last year. For me, vermiculite holds the perfect amount of capillary water and lets almost all of the gravitational water drain away. Vermiculite seems to have a higher capacity than perlite and seems to dry out more slowly. For me it is more forgiving. I think perlite might move air better and it offers more structural support though and I think it shakes off more easily from the baby roots. I don't like mixing with vermiculite, though. If I'm using either as an ingredient, I have a strong preference for perlite.

I would not use Vermiculite, again.  They are not even close to the same beast.  As Harvey mentioned, it does retain too much moisture.  For me, however, the main issue is that it compresses WAY too easily.  I bought a 4 cu ft bag many years ago.  I ended up throwing away more than 3 cu ft of it.

I'm thinking vermiculite may be what I need here in N Texas - it gets HOT!!  When I grew (tried to grow lol) bonsai trees years ago here, I couldn't keep them watered enough during the summer. My S.O. was out there 2-3x a day watering!!  He is not able to do that and I sure can't, so if I'm going to have trees in pots, maybe the vermiculite will do the job.

Jo-Ann,

I thought the same thing about using vermiculite in the dry desert. Boy was I wrong. It did hold too much water and things rotted away.

They're completely different.  I wouldn't use vermiculite with figs because it holds water.  Also the purpose of perlite is to facilitate draining via the rough and large surface area which vermiculite doesn't have.  

So what is vermiculite best used for?

JoAnn...my sister-in-law has two huge vegetable gardens in her back yard, and she uses vermiculite in her seed starting routine... I know that vermiculite comes in the course type and also fine.  I don't know which you purchased, but maybe the course type would give a little more air space around the stems of your rooted cuttings(less chance of rot)...I purchased a bag of vermiculite last year, and it just felt too fine and granular(almost like sand)... I was concerned about using it...so rather than throwing it out, I mixed small quantities with large amounts of potting soil/perlite to make a potting mix and I had no problems with it...but I don't think I will buy it again.

Perlite,perlite,perlite

Drip irrigation on a timer, simple, cheap, effective.

I use 50/50 perlite potting soil to root figs in but I've found if I put about 3/4 of an inch of fine vermaculite on top it keeps the mix from drying so quickly and it seems to break the fungus gnat life cycle. I imagine the gnats can't get through the fine particles to lay eggs. You can let the vermaculite get very dry even while keeping the perlite soil mix moist.

I used vermiculite last year and lost a lot of cuttings. I agree that it holds too much moisture to the point that it causes rot.
You need good air flow for the baby roots to grow.
Joann you can mix it in the potting mix when you "up pot" your figs.

- JoAnn. Everyone is steering you in the right direction. Vermiculite is great for holding moisture. Lots of it! If you try rooting cuttings in this, you would most likely lose them. 

Addsion made a good suggestion for it though. Just might work OK when applied as she suggested. I'd still be careful though even in this application.

The only time I use vermiculite is as an additive when making my own potting soil. It does serve a good purpose for potted plants with well established roots and that are going to be exposed to hot summer temps. That's about the only time that kind of moisture retention becomes desirable. 

Other than that, I've used it as a media for hatching reptile eggs :-) .

I use a mixture of vermiculite and sand for rooting certain kinds of hardwood nursery stock, but for figs as many have said it holds too much water and rot will set in.

The point of Vermiculite is to hold water. Perlite is the opposite.

Vermiculite works fine for rooting cuttings IF IF IF IF it is coarse enough. Something in pea size or bigger allows enough air in between the particles. The finer stuff forms a solid mass, and holds too much water and no air, leading to rot. I had good success with a 50-50 mix of Vermiculite and Perlite, as long as the particle size was coarse enough. I stopped using Vermiculite because I could not find product that was coarse enough.

The bottom line is that almost anything works, as long as you understand the characteristics of the material, and use it in a way that both holds moisture and allows air into the root zone.

I purchased a big bag of vermiculite years ago. I still have much of it. Almost everything I used it with failed because of it holding too much water. And I also live in a very dry environment. I think it's become a habit to recommend it by people who have never actually used it.

Another solid vote for perlite.

Thanks everyone, I did not intend to root cuttings with it - I am sticking with the sp moss. 

I was thinking of adding it to my potting mix for the figs - maybe 25% for moisture retention, and also for vegetables I will grow.  I don't have the time, desire or inclination to water 3x a day.  The most I would do is 2x - before I leave for work in the late morning and late in the evening after work, probably about 9hours between with the midnight watering being the heaviest since it is cooler ;)