Irises: Jap. Iris from trade - plant right away, 1 by jenepat

jenepat wrote:
I just received a couple of Japanese Iris (NOID) in a trade and am curious if I need to get them in the ground ASAP. There aren't any rhizomes, just roots that were carefully wrapped in moist paper towel, plastic baggie & newspaper (still moist when I got them). The bed where I plan to put these isn't quite ready yet, so I'm wondering if it would be OK to put them in a pot (12" or other size) until the bed is ready (hopefully in a couple weeks), then transplant. This is my first time to grow irises & one of my first plant trades ever. I did receive a couple of TB Iris rhizomes from another DGer recently, but these were dried rhizomes & I was told it would be ok to keep them in a cool, dry, dark place until the bed was ready. Just doesn't seem like that would be the case with these japanese roots/fans. Also - should I sterilize them at all before planting. If so, how?

Here's a pic of them.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!