This is strange. I grow in richly composted dirt with a hoop house. This is my third year. Year one everything was fine with my plants. Last year I had one plant that was sickly for reasons unknown. This year I have had two plants go from growing vigorously to dead in a couple of days a few weeks apart and now another is sick. These plants are in the same area as last years problem. It starts with a branch dying and then another until in a couple days the entire plant is dead. Today I removed a dead branch from the trunk. It was very loosely attached and simply pulled off. It was about 3/4" diameter. I watered and fertilized said plant and somehow another very healthy looking branch just fell off the trunk. Crazy shit. When I pulled up the dead plants, the roots were nice and white, but pulled up very easily, the plant felt loose in the ground. The first branches to go are at the base of the stalk and don't have symptoms of yellowing or other leaf clues. I think something is killing the roots, but they look fine. the little white tentacles on the roots 3' from the trunk look nice and white. My first year I left a big piece of root in the ground in this area. When I pulled the plant and it broke off, I told myself that leaving it might be a bad idea, but left it anyway. Any ideas on WTF is causing this? I hate to abandon my garden. I cut this larger dead branch off the first plant I lost. The plant pictured died a month ago so whatever this shit is, it doesn't move to the next plant real fast. That plant was healthy two days prior. Thanks, Ken
