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You shouldn't have to worry about it. the culture is alive. You can put it in the freezer in cubes and when it thaws they are still alive. If you left it out too long or it over heated or was left to spoil is the only time I know of that you need to start over with a new culture. using it to make more you are feeding it and they are spawning and making more and more bacterias to make more milk into more yogurt. kind of like feeding a sour dough bread starter or yeast.
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You are making sure you have killed off any other bacteria that could possibly be in the milk so that the only thing growing is your good bacteria for the yogurt making process.
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Yes. That should be plenty. I don't measure too much. I think when I did a gallon of milk I just put in like a half a cup and it worked fine. All of those little bacterias grew and grew and converted the milk to yogurt.
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No it doesn't really matter. You can freeze whats left of your starter and have it for a later when you think your own culture shows a problem - which it shouldn't.
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I add vanilla, honey or sugar when I heat the milk so every bit dissolves and mixes in well. If you want to add fruit I would say add it as a final step before putting it in your jars - heavy fruits will settle to the bottom. For fruity yogurt I give my kids a jar of jam or preserves we made to put on top.
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As long as you have never opened the jar 2 months - but I have heard as long as 3 months. For an opened jar a month. Mine never lasts that long. If the kids aren't finishing a jar the chicks, ducks or geese do.
I think some commercial yogurt is good for 3 - 5 months.
