Those wizened-looking roots of yours haven't gone bad: they're just dehydrated. You can revive them easily by immersing them in water for a few days.
Category: Water
DIY Rain Barrel Project
Getting your rain barrel up now means "free" water for any possible early hot days, or sudden drought. It's easy to make your own rain barrel from a plain, plastic garbage can with a domed lid.
Water is Life.
Without drinking water, we'd die of dehydration in 3-4 days, and just about all life on this planet—from insects to elephants—needs this glorious wet stuff to survive.