Wash the roots? WTF dam, I think someone was pranking you. Did they come back with a way to reduce root shock?...Sprinkle a handful of salt around the base of the plant. (don't try that). However, I do remember my next door neighbors son Rehan 18yrs, had a couple in a pot out the front of his porch. (we lived up a right of way next to each other. He said they were tomatoes I just laughed. Anyway, a week later he says, look what my mum did, and opens up my rubbish bin lid, there were his two little six inch babies, ripped out and thrown in a plastic bag and dumped in my bin. Hmmm, I thought, they do say the're weeds. So I took them round the back and planted them and gave them TLC (I thought it was a fair swap, a little TLC for a lot of THC later...hahaha). So, anyway, I just watered them in the pot and they grew into what you see next to me. The last funny part was that they got to around 4 foot and one day I found that someone had cut one off at the base and just left a stump there, but they'd left me the other slightly bigger one, how cool was that. I had to smile. Now it's 6 years later my mate rings me up and says, "Dave, I'm looking after 80 seedlings for someone for a couple of weeks, do you want a few? well is the pope a catholic, so I've got 5 out the back on the patio, and my mum's telling me what a bad influence I am on my kids (Ayla wants to put one in her room...LOL) she's 15. They're between 380 and 510mm high and growing at a rate of between 20 and 30mm a day now. I might just post them here every week. Moving them to 48 litre airpots end of next week. Will have a mix worked out from all the expert knowledge around, mushroom compost, worm castings, and a few other things along with my organic potting mix.....Sorry, I have to tell someone....LOL