Bean and pepper plant failure

[finchy]

What would cause one of my french bean plants (outside in a pot on the ground) and one of my pepper plants (in a pot in the shed in the window) to keel over still alive and kicking on the same day?  ???

The stems look like they have been reduced to about 10% of the girth just above the soil for about hanf an inch. Naturally, that can support them and off they go...timber.......

Would have put it down to a slug (or similar) having a spot of brunch, but for 2 isolated incidents in 2 different places, and only 1 plant effected in each place, and such a small amount of damage? (No slime trails I hasten to add)

Is it something else like over or under watering?  :-\

[finchy]

[saddad]

Is the stem discoloured... black? or can you see the central part of the stem?
Black would suggest fungal the other chewing from something like a chafer grub type things..
:-\

[miniroots]

How big are the seedlings?
Is it damping off?

Do the stems look shrivelled or nibbled?

You could water the others with Cheshunt Compound to try to stop it spreading...

[finchy]

How big are the seedlings?
Is it damping off?

Do the stems look shrivelled or nibbled?

You could water the others with Cheshunt Compound to try to stop it spreading...

Look more shrivelled than nibbled. Not black though, so no fungal.

Is damping off contagious? What causes it? Can it effect all plants of this nature?

Question, questions, questions!!! ???

[miniroots]

I'm a bit of beginner myself - but I imagine that a plant could damp off if the conditiions changed to be significantly damper - and maybe if they have just been moved outside they might be weakened a bit.  In a potting shed - maybe a cold night might weakened and a warm / damp day might set it off...

And I don't think it's strictly contagious - but if the conditions are right for one to be effected, then the others might follow.

Plenty of air circulation is the best way... but then that doesn't explain why the one outside went...

Oh I don't know...