Transplants from Dirt vs. The Store

I needed some plants to kick-start the aquaponics cycle, so I got the most resilient edible plant, mint. They are well known for their aggressive nature in spreading out their roots, to take over as much territory as they can. For this pilot setup of aquaponics, I just want to see the system working.​

I got a bunch of mint from the local store, and they were refrigerated. I placed around a dozen branches into some nutrients-rich aquaponics water in a jar (after taking the lower leaves off), and waited for the roots to come out.. I'm proud to say that one of them gave a root, while the rest just withered and died. I then transplanted it into the grow bed (the one on the right).

The one on the left, was bought from a gardening nursery and immediately transplanted into the aquaponics system, two days ago. I'm so glad it's flourishing :)

Can you see the difference :D

Side Note: with the nursery plant, I carefully cleaned the roots from all the dirt, and cleaned the leaves from any possible insecticide. You don't want to harm the fish with any of it. I used a gentle spray of water, while gently wedging the dirt from between the roots.