I had asked this question in other threads but it got buried with no traction. The question was if it was harmful to frequently water cuttings in perlite with good drain holes in the rooting pot, say at least once a day. I am not botany expert but I can imagine some benefits like inert moist environment in perlite (unlike soil where things can harm the bark in very moist situation) and fast return of air/oxygen after water run off from perlite through the drain holes. The cuttings may be in perlite from the start or after getting initials in the baggie method.
Now, recently there have been a few threads about rooting in water where the cutting always stays inside water to a certain height. Many have shown successful rooting & some unsuccessful with rotting bark. 
I can practice myself with spare cuttings to see if frequent watering of cuttings in perlite with good drainage will have any detrimental effect but I thought to ask in case someone from experience or otherwise already may know that it is OK to water cuttings in perlite frequently say at least once a day (or may mention both positives as well as negatives of frequent watering in perlite).

I tried both as an experiment this year.

I got the best results in water. The perlite was not a success, but that may be due to impatience.  The perlite seemed to not hold enough water and I believe I overwatered them. Some became soft, some showed nothing. I had them in a covered container to control humidity.

Water for me has been another story.

Only one  variety did not show a sign of anything (Aubique Petite- But it rooted laying down in soil mix). Some did show signs of getting waterlogged and turning to mush. But none of those with signs of roots  or white breaks in the bark were affected. They stayed as firm or hard as I first emerged them in water.

I received a Wuhan cutting from Jon a week ago and in less than a week the bark is splitting and showing white exposed. The cutting is already showing a bud break and it had nothing before.

I do not have them covered at all. Just a cup with tap water filled 3 inches or so with the cutting emerged. There is a space heater keeping the air temp at 75 to 80.

I have a Salem Dark that showed a little tiny root about 2 weeks ago and it is now going bonkers in a cup of 70/30 perlite/ soil mix.

A Sweet George has a root about 5 inches long in a cup and a Brooklyn dark has a root or two emerging.

All Started in water. So either its beginners luck or I found the secret to life!
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Dominick
zone6a-MA

Hi Dominick.  I have some extra cuttings so I am going to try a few in water also for fun, and maybe I will get lucky too.

I have been rooting all my cuttings just by putting them in good quality light potting soil in ground last Spring and Summer, and in pots indoors this Winter. 

In the pots this Winter, the Lindhurst Whites took off right away (it was pretty amazing), and are growing like weeds.  The Paradiso Whites are doing well, so are the Blue Celestes, and several unknowns, but I only had one Aubique Petite sprout leaves, but then it died unfortunately (but after an appropriate period of mourning I just planted another).  Can't win everytime I guess.

What drives me crazy about sprouting them in ground/pots though is that if they don't take off right away (some do; but most don't and take many weeks before you see any leaves or signs of life, other than some greening on the cuttings bark sometimes which is a good sign; but some show no greening and send up leaves from lower down later), you just have no idea what is happening under the surface of the soil, and that drives me crazy wondering whether they are sprouting roots or not.

With the water method, you could see, so this will be fun.  We home school our children, so you just gave us a great science project Dominick.  Thanks.

Best wishes to all.

John
North Georgia Piedmont
Zone 7b

Ottawan, Ciao,,,,, can only speake for myself, but water and spagnum moss seems to be the best choices I have made, also, just sticking in good loose soil, which we did many years just sticking sticks in airy soils in the ground or pots. Was blown away this year with the rainwater approach, just again, only speaking for myself.

Ottawan, here is my take.  Every year I put a few varieties of cuttings in a vase of water at around the same time I start cuttings in baggies and also cuttings in sphagnm moss and straight perlite (since changed to 2 parts coarse perlite to 1 part turface).  My experience is the vase of water is the slowest to give roots, but it's also the easiest by far.  Also tougher to root cultivars like petite aubite  just don't root in water for me (whereas easier to root cultivars like lindhurst white will almost all root).  I don't like the fruit flies I get with sphagnum moss and get roots about the same time as when using perlite.  The fastest way to get roots for me has been the baggie method, but its much more labor intensive than the other 3 methods.  Now when I get roots, then for me it's the 2 part perlite/1 part turface mix that they all get. 

Thanks everyone for your input.
Ed, you mentioned at the end "Now when I get roots, then for me it's the 2 part perlite/1 part turface mix that they all get."
Now the roots are in perlite and turface mix which both are chunky material and both absorb some moisture but not like stuff like peat moss or other similar material that make the environment wet after watering.
In case of chunky material like perlite or turface (or its mix) when watered, the chunky material absorbs moisture but the water gradually drains away and air return to spaces between the chunks so the roots get fresh air/oxygen and moisture. In case of perlite/turface there is moisture present but not wet like peat moss based medium. When perlite or turface is watered the next day again, water fills up the voids for a short period, removes the stale air but gradually the water drains away and fresh air/oxygen comes in. Thus there is a cycle of moisture (no continuous wetness) and fresh air that I thought should be helpful for the roots.
My concern was mostly with existing root progress with frequent watering in perlite only medium and not with the initial speed of rooting. Now I have less concern with frequent watering in perlite-only after reading the threads about rooting in water-only and Al's comparison of roots structure in different media:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg0213404815841.html?1

I have two just-rooted cuttings in perlite and I am experimenting with frequent watering (once a day) and see what happens.