Roots tend to get tan/brown coloured later on and most often is just staining from the various nutes over time. Are your teeth as white as when you were a kid? Mine sure aren't.
Root rot makes the roots all slimy first then they tend to fall off and you have them floating around in the pail/tub. When it gets real bad you'll walk into the grow room and the plant(s) will look like they are bone dry even tho they're sitting in water.
I hear ya about coughing up big money for your grow. I've grown on a low budget forever. When I moved up here from the lower mainland of BC to northern Alberta in '01 I brought 6 hash plant clones with me. After meeting a few locals that were into pot I picked up an old 400W HPS ballast and bulb for cheap from one and that got my flowering going a lot better. Bits and pieces over the years when I could spare some cash. Couple years back I got a little inheritance money and blew a couple grand on grow stuff. Light Rail, Trimpro trimmer, (want to sell that), couple bulbs, gallon jugs of nutes, big jar of powdered Big Bud. CO2 controller and relay etc etc. Doesn't take long to blow money getting grow goodies.
Still want a good portable AC unit and a tank of CO2 so I can start running a sealed room and be able to control the environment better. Need another grand for that. Chronically low humidity here causes problems. I've really slowed down my growing the last couple years as I don't sell pot and always have way more than I can use. It's hell I tell ya! lol