I soak in a bleach solution when they arrive for about 20 minutes-half hour. This is how long Joe Ghio says to do. Then I throw them in a bucket of clear water to rinse off the bleach. I pot almost all mine up first. Because of our water situation, I can control the water better in a pot than I can in the ground. I add about a teaspoon of bonemeal to the soil in the bottom half of the pot and lightly mix it in with my fingers. Add more soil, spread out the roots, and barely cover the rhizome. Hopefully, by fall (late September thru late October), I'll know how and where I'm going to arrange them and get them in the ground. They should have nice roots by then.
