always use perlite. i didnt once and my plants began to drown. i repotted them with perlite and they rocketed up!

Well modern good quality compost based soils have vastly improved aeration and drainage compared to a few years ago which makes the addition of soiless substrates such as perlite and vermiculite less of a requirement. There's soils now which contain a water retaining gel which improves water retention and drainage substantially.

Growers choosing not to use large quantities of perlite and vermiculite in the soil mixes and who follow the wet/dry watering cycle rigidly probably get better results than those who do use larger quantities of perlite.

Additionally perlite dust is now considered carciogenic, so you can't really blame people not not wishing to use it.

As you say, there are two sides of the coin to this, both sides have merits.

The points regarding the benefits of perlite are valid....It provides superior aeration, and protects well against the ravages of overwatering.
For large outdoor containers, I use even more perlite/vermiculite, as it makes the soil mix lighter in weight,...... because I move outdoor containers frequently throughout the day, this helps save my achin' back.
I use roughly equal parts perlite and vermiculite in my soil blend.

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holy shit thats fantastic....didnt know that....

yeah i bet this topic could go around and around......i can for sure see the two sides of the topic. i tried both; ive had better reults using perlite, but thats just me...its also been awhile since ive tried not using perlite.

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