I agree about bareroot stuff online vs getting something in person. What I paid for an online nursery's bareroot plus shipping I could have had a big tree with multiple branches in a 5gal which surprisingly my local HomeDepot had in stock at the time (Jiro persimmons) in northern NJ. This year for the first time they are carrying citrus, guava, passionfruit, and some other "porch plant" as they are marketing them, which here it's rare to find somewhere to get these things unless you order from an online nursery and have it shipped which is usually the only choice.
From time to time i will also go for a not so healthy plant, if its rare to find. Usually such plants i manage to nurse back to health.
I got 10 barefoot persimmons a couple years back. Some were so bad looking that they were like the letter h -2 big roots and that’s it. I planted them all, and surprisingly they all made it with no extra care. Just prune back the top part so the plant isn’t too stressed. But yes, I do prefer potted plants.
Apart from the chocolate that died on me, i had previously bought two other persimmons from a seller at my village, when i got home at a closer inspection all the feeger roots were toast and also the main ones were halfway dead. I planted them anyway but nothink came out of that. I hate people that sell bad plants, intentionally or unintentionally......
Ive had also positive outcomes with bareroot persimons , the two big ones in pots that i have now were bareroot plants 3-4 years ago, but those i picked in person and inspected the roots which were kept moist and were alive.
Ive said this before but some nurseries just dont care to handle the plants at the best way possible for the plant.....i mean its never sure that a bareroot will take if kept properly till sell, but it surely will not take if its awready dead at purchase..
Sorry about the bragg .....