Stem damage at soil level

Anyone familiar with this? I don't know if it's stem rot. The plant can fall over and sometimes still survive if propped up. I've had it on different varieties and different batches of soil. If the plant survives the ring around the stem will kinda dry up and the plant will go on and live normally.

looks a bit like some critter got a tasty lil lunch..

Someone should know more than I.. to me it looks like it has been eaten or gouged at?

Then again, some kind of fungus around the soil level?

I'll keep an eye on this thread, I'd like to know too.

damn... that sucks!
indoor or outdoor?

i coppied this directly from another forum, not sure if this is what ya got or not.

Stem Canker (Stem Rot)

Stem cankers are what the name is, they form on stems from a fungus similar to white and yellow leaf spot. Weather can affect the way stem cankers can live; wet humid weather is what makes this fungus thrive. Canker fungus is caused and entered the same white and leaf spot fungus enters the plants, it enters through an open cut, wound, pruned wound, or pest infestation that has caused damage by eating leaves or chewing on the stem’s or stalks and can be transferred through rain. It can also get in through susceptible plants that have been wounded through environmental factors like animal attacks, pruning, LST (Low Stress Training), and using cutting utensils that are not sanitary that may have fungus or bacteria on them. Damage to the plant occurs in the form of a yellowish-brown discoloration on the lower portion of the stalk. Later, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, and the plant dries out and dies.They form mostly on the stems, but severe cases spotting starts to form on the leaves from internal tissue being cut of nutrients and water. In between nodes is where stem cankers start to form, and move up the plant, around the 3rd, 4th and 5th node is where it will mainly affects the plants. Stems will have brown lesions; eventually have a dark reddish-brown sunken canker in the stem. Sometimes if severe the wound may reopen and appear split in the middle of the area of the wound on the stem and can also create a buldge. The lesions can extend up the plant over 3 or 4 nodes, once this happens the plant starts to wilt from vascular uptake being cut. This gets confused with root rot when the plant starts to wilt, and leaves turn yellowish brown and or spots, because the stem canker does not show itself yet once this starts to happen. Once the stem canker has been observed and if not treated, the leaves will start to wilt with yellow, white and brown spots, similar to white and yellow leaf spot. When plants are affected by this, the plant is more susceptible to more fungus and viral infections, from air borne spores.

This plant is grown indoors. I know it looks like something ate it but it's not that....it has to be some kind of fungus or something like stem rot. I just thought it odd but I think it has to be related to my soil. I mixed my soil according to Subcool's recipe and keep it in trash cans and I have experienced it on two completely different batches of soil. I'll try to get some more pictures of some different plants with same condition. The plant is this picture didn't make it but some plants seem to grow thru it.

Since it's at soil level, you should try adding a tad more soil to cover it up at the base. Might help it to heal as well as turn to root.