Has anyone ever dealt with stem rot? I think that is what my neighbors flower farm has. She gave me some small sunflowers from her garden, I planted them and by the end od the season I noticed my nearby dalais ended up looking like her sunflowers - with blacked lower leaves & stems(last years). She, year after year just buries the sick plants in that same gaden. (She sells the cut flowers on the road) It only seemed to attack certain plants. But I am afraid the soil is infected and don’t want to put new plants in the garden that was sick last year for fear it will return. I removed all plants that were sick or they died off & did not return this spring. There is however, plants it did not bother, so I still have some flowers that are doing well in that area. It seemed to attack dalais, black eyed susan & cone flower. I'm not sure what it is. I looked around on the internet the only thing I found similar is stem rot??? Any ideas or solutions???

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Nancy