Yeah, my initial thought was abrasion. The stems of these plants are pretty tender due to the greenhouse environment - no wind to cause a sawing effect DonDuck, warmer and more humid even than outdoors. But actually the jute seemed softer than the sisal, I thought it would be fine... other stems tied up with polypropylene "all purpose" rope, which is not soft by any means, do not have any sign of abrasion. The brown powdery stuff quickly spread beyond the point of contact, starting as ring shaped whitish bumpy areas - the rounded shape is definitely consistent with a colony formation of either bacteria or fungi.
Yes it was a new ball of jute. I've never used it before, picked up at the corner store where we usually get sisal for the farm.
I am thinking to cut down the affected plants, and if so I guess I'll put a stem into water to see if there's a milky effluent which is the positive test for bacteria. Not too worried about fungi in the compost, if it is EB it's already present in the environment. But if it's a bacterial disease, I am worried about the whole she-bang: disposal of the plants including unaffected parts: possibly replacement of the soil too? IDK. Not a good situation.
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