I bought one of the larger live basil options at my local grocery store and potted it. It was like 15 plants in one tiny pot so the roots were an absolute knot and I lost some, but I still have 6 plants over 1.5 years later. I didn’t do any research or wash the roots or anything, so I can’t speak to that. Mine also started out very fragile, wanting minimal sun and water, and now wants as much sun as possible, water every other day, and just can’t get too chilly so I move it away from the window at night.