Search Plants
Try for Free
English
About
Care Guide
More Info
Pests & Diseases
Distribution
Soft hornwort
Ceratophyllum submersum
Soft hornwort is a perennial herbaceous plant. The stem is 25 to 60 cm long. The leaves are lively on the stem. In contrast to the rough horn leaf it has fine green leaves that are forked two to four times and has only a few (about 5 to 8) hardly visible teeth on the leaves. The flowering period is summer.
Care Guide for Soft hornwort
Feedback
Know the light your plants really get.
Find the best spots for them to optimize their health, simply using your phone.
Scan QR code to download
Soft hornwort
Water
Every week
Key Facts About Soft hornwort
Feedback
Attributes of Soft hornwort
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Herb
Leaf type
Semi-evergreen
Scientific Classification of Soft hornwort
Phylum
Vascular plants
Class
Dicotyledons
Order
Coontails
Family
Hornworts
Genus
Coontails
Species
Soft hornwort
Find your perfect green friends.
Plan your green oasis based on your criteria: plant type, pet safety, skill level, sites, and more.
Common Pests & Diseases About Soft hornwort
Feedback
Common issues for Soft hornwort based on 10 million real cases
Fruit withering
Fungal infection or normal ripening can cause the fruit to dry out.
Solutions: There are a number of appropriate solutions to control fruit withering: Remove any fruit as soon as it shows any signs of infection. Do not compost. Use a fungicide prior to leaf bud and then as per manufacturers instructions throughout the season.
Underwatering
Leaves may wilt for a variety of reasons.
Solutions: The easiest (and most obvious) way to address underwatering is to fully hydrate the plant. However, this must be done carefully. A common mistake that many gardeners make is to douse their underwatered plants with water. This can overwhelm the roots of the plant and shock its system, something that can be even more damaging than the lack of water to begin with. Instead, water thoroughly and slowly, taking breaks to let the water slowly saturate through the soil to get to the roots. Use room temperature water, as cold water might be too much of a shock. In the future, shorten the time between waterings. A good rule of thumb is to check the soil around each plant daily. If it’s dry to at least two inches down, it’s time to water. If a container plant is repeatedly drying out very quickly, repotting into a slower-draining container might be a good idea, too.
Thrips
Thrips are 1 to 2 mm bugs with slender black or translucent-yellow bodies. They move quickly and feed on the plant's sap.
Solutions: Thrips can be controlled in several ways. Spray plants with Pyrethrin, which is an organic pesticide derived from marigolds (follow label instructions) or Permethrin, the synthetic version of Pyrethrin. Introduce beneficial insects to the garden that eat thrips, such as minute pirate bugs and green lacewings. Remove heavily infested plants from the area and discard. Address viral diseases that may have been transmitted by the pests. For less serious cases -use a hose to spray the thrips off of the plants.
Fruit mold
Fungal infections can cause mold to grow on the surface of the fruit and may also cause decay.
Solutions: There are some relatively easy steps to stop the spread of fruit mold, but swift action must be taken. Prune away infected fruits or flowers. As soon as lesions or fuzz are seen, cut away the infected parts and dispose of them. Do not compost. Apply fungicide to plants with mild infections (those with severe infections may need to be destroyed). Increase airflow. Since spores are mainly wind born, increasing the airflow around your plants will make them less susceptible to infection. Maintain maximum space between plants and open branch structures during the pruning season.
Fruit withering
Fungal infection or normal ripening can cause the fruit to dry out.
Overview
Fruit withering is common on many tree fruits, including apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and plums, as well as fruiting shrubs. It is caused by a fungal pathogen and will result in wrinkled and desiccated fruit.
Symptom Analysis
Here are the most common symptoms in the order that they are likely to occur.
- Both leaves and blossom on the tips of branches will go brown and wither.
- Gray powdery patches will appear on infected leaves and flowers, and this will be most apparent after rain.
- Any fruit that does appear will turn wrinkled and fail to develop.
- Branch tips begin to die, progressing back to larger branches, causing general deterioration of the tree or plant.
Disease Cause
The withering is caused by one of two fungal pathogens, one called Monilina laxa and the other called M. fructigen. The spores overwinter on infected plant material and are then spread the following spring by wind, rain, or animal vectors. The problem will start to become noticeable in mid-spring, but will increase in severity as summer progresses and the fungus grows. If not addressed, the disease will intensify and spread to other plants in the vicinity.
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants and unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Scan the QR code with your phone camera to download the app
Underwatering
Leaves may wilt for a variety of reasons.
Overview
Underwatering plants is one of the quickest ways to kill them. This is something that most gardeners are well aware of. Unfortunately, knowing exactly how much water a plant needs can be tricky, especially considering that underwatering and overwatering present similar symptoms in plants.
Therefore, it’s important to be vigilant and attentive to each plants’ individual needs.
Symptom Analysis
As mentioned earlier, overwatering and underwatering present similar symptoms in plants. These symptoms include poor growth, wilted leaves, defoliation, and brown leaf tips or margins. Ultimately, both underwatering and overwatering can lead to the death of a plant.
The easiest way to determine whether a plant has too much water or too little is to look at the leaves. If underwatering is the culprit, the leaves will look brown and crunchy, while if it’s overwatering, they will appear yellow or a pale green in color.
When this issue first begins, there may be no noticeable symptoms at all, particularly in hardy or drought-tolerant plants. However, they will begin to wilt once they start suffering from a lack of water. The edges of the plant’s leaves will become brown or curled. Soil pulling away from the edges of the planter is a telltale sign, or a crispy, brittle stem.
Prolonged underwatering can cause a plant’s growth to become stunted. The leaves might drop and the plant can be more susceptible to pest infestations, too.
Disease Cause
Underwatering is caused by, quite simply, not watering plants often or deeply enough. There is a heightened risk of underwatering if any of these situations apply:
- Extreme heat and dry weather (when growing outdoors)
- Grow lights or indoor lighting that is too bright or intense for the type of plant
- Using fast-draining growing media such as sand
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants and unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Scan the QR code with your phone camera to download the app
Thrips
Thrips are 1 to 2 mm bugs with slender black or translucent-yellow bodies. They move quickly and feed on the plant's sap.
Overview
Thrips are tiny, flying, sap-sucking insects that attack the tender parts of plants, causing scarring and weakening of the plant and sometimes, if the infestation is severe enough, plant death. They have undersized double wings with a fringe on them, resembling tiny, misshapen damselflies. Thrips have a taste for many houseplants and crops, making them a serious nuisance.
They appear in early spring after the last frost has occurred. If not controlled in early spring, they will persist for most of the season. They are often attracted to weakened plants, such as those struck by drought/underwatering or malnutrition. Excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer also seems to attract them to a plant. Thrips can spread various viruses between plants, leading to more serious damage.
Symptom Analysis
Thrips are so small that they may not be noticed (1 to 2 mm long), but infested plants present several key signs. Tiny pale spots appear on leaves, which may start to deform, show white or silver discoloration, or become papery in texture.
Flower petals may be damaged as well, and might display color break, which is dark or pale discoloring of petal tissue damaged before the buds had a chance to open. Fruits may show scabby or silvery scarring. Tiny black spots of the insects' excrement may be visible.
As the infestation progresses, infested terminals roll and become discolored, and leaves may drop prematurely. The plant's growth may be stunted. Secondary viral and bacterial infections, which thrips can transmit, may become evident.
The good news? Thrips rarely kill or seriously weaken shrubs and trees. Smaller plants, such as vegetable crops and herbaceous ornamentals, tend to be more severely affected.
Solutions
Thrips can be controlled in several ways.
- Spray plants with Pyrethrin, which is an organic pesticide derived from marigolds (follow label instructions) or Permethrin, the synthetic version of Pyrethrin.
- Introduce beneficial insects to the garden that eat thrips, such as minute pirate bugs and green lacewings.
- Remove heavily infested plants from the area and discard.
- Address viral diseases that may have been transmitted by the pests.
- For less serious cases -use a hose to spray the thrips off of the plants.
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants and unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Scan the QR code with your phone camera to download the app
Fruit mold
Fungal infections can cause mold to grow on the surface of the fruit and may also cause decay.
Overview
Fruit mold is the result of fungal infection by one or more of a wide variety of fungal species. Favoring damp and cool conditions, this problem can have a devastating effect on most fruit crops as it tends to occur just when fruit are reaching maturity. Once mold establishes itself, the fruit quickly decays and becomes inedible. The fungus is capable of spreading quickly to other fruit, either or the same plant or on neighboring plants.
Symptom Analysis
Symptoms tend to be obvious but are quick to develop.
- Brown lesions form on the fruit and occasionally the blossoms. These lesions become soft, mushy, and develop a fuzzy gray or brown coating.
- The infection will very quickly spread to any fruit in contact with those that are infected.
- Fruit may drop or remain on the plant and mummify over time.
- Infection may spread to leaves and new branches, eventually leading to demise of the entire plant .
Disease Cause
This condition is caused by one of a number of fungal species which all follow a similar cycle. Spores remain dormant on dead plant material over the winter months and then emerge during the spring when they are carried by the wind or insect vectors to the host plant. Once they land on a plant, often facilitated by damp conditions, the spores will gain entry and breed (sporulate) rapidly. Entry to the plant is often through damage caused by sap-sucking insects.
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants and unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Scan the QR code with your phone camera to download the app
Treat and prevent plant diseases.
AI-powered plant doctor helps you diagnose plant problems in seconds.
Distribution of Soft hornwort
Feedback
Distribution Map of Soft hornwort
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants and unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Your Ultimate Guide to Plants
Identify grow and nurture the better way!
17,000 local species +400,000 global species studied
Nearly 5 years of research
80+ scholars in botany and gardening
Botanist in your pocket
Scan the QR code with your phone camera to download the app
About
Care Guide
More Info
Pests & Diseases
Distribution
Soft hornwort
Ceratophyllum submersum
Soft hornwort is a perennial herbaceous plant. The stem is 25 to 60 cm long. The leaves are lively on the stem. In contrast to the rough horn leaf it has fine green leaves that are forked two to four times and has only a few (about 5 to 8) hardly visible teeth on the leaves. The flowering period is summer.
Instantly identify plants with a snap
Snap a photo for instant plant ID, gaining quick insights on disease prevention, treatment, toxicity, care, uses, and symbolism, etc.
Download the App for Free
Care Guide for Soft hornwort
Feedback
Know the light your plants really get.
Find the best spots for them to optimize their health, simply using your phone.
Download the App for Free
Download
Key Facts About Soft hornwort
Feedback
Attributes of Soft hornwort
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Herb
Leaf type
Semi-evergreen
Gain more valuable plant knowledge
Explore a rich botanical encyclopedia for deeper insights
Download the App for Free
Scientific Classification of Soft hornwort
Phylum
Vascular plants Class
Dicotyledons Order
Coontails Family
Hornworts Genus
Coontails Species
Soft hornwort 
Never miss a care task again!
Plant care made easier than ever with our tailor-made smart care reminder.
Download the App for Free
Common Pests & Diseases About Soft hornwort
Feedback
Common issues for Soft hornwort based on 10 million real cases
Fruit withering
Fungal infection or normal ripening can cause the fruit to dry out.
Solutions: There are a number of appropriate solutions to control fruit withering: Remove any fruit as soon as it shows any signs of infection. Do not compost. Use a fungicide prior to leaf bud and then as per manufacturers instructions throughout the season.
Learn More About the Fruit withering ![more]()
Underwatering
Leaves may wilt for a variety of reasons.
Solutions: The easiest (and most obvious) way to address underwatering is to fully hydrate the plant. However, this must be done carefully. A common mistake that many gardeners make is to douse their underwatered plants with water. This can overwhelm the roots of the plant and shock its system, something that can be even more damaging than the lack of water to begin with. Instead, water thoroughly and slowly, taking breaks to let the water slowly saturate through the soil to get to the roots. Use room temperature water, as cold water might be too much of a shock. In the future, shorten the time between waterings. A good rule of thumb is to check the soil around each plant daily. If it’s dry to at least two inches down, it’s time to water. If a container plant is repeatedly drying out very quickly, repotting into a slower-draining container might be a good idea, too.
Learn More About the Underwatering ![more]()
Thrips
Thrips are 1 to 2 mm bugs with slender black or translucent-yellow bodies. They move quickly and feed on the plant's sap.
Solutions: Thrips can be controlled in several ways. Spray plants with Pyrethrin, which is an organic pesticide derived from marigolds (follow label instructions) or Permethrin, the synthetic version of Pyrethrin. Introduce beneficial insects to the garden that eat thrips, such as minute pirate bugs and green lacewings. Remove heavily infested plants from the area and discard. Address viral diseases that may have been transmitted by the pests. For less serious cases -use a hose to spray the thrips off of the plants.
Learn More About the Thrips ![more]()
Fruit mold
Fungal infections can cause mold to grow on the surface of the fruit and may also cause decay.
Solutions: There are some relatively easy steps to stop the spread of fruit mold, but swift action must be taken. Prune away infected fruits or flowers. As soon as lesions or fuzz are seen, cut away the infected parts and dispose of them. Do not compost. Apply fungicide to plants with mild infections (those with severe infections may need to be destroyed). Increase airflow. Since spores are mainly wind born, increasing the airflow around your plants will make them less susceptible to infection. Maintain maximum space between plants and open branch structures during the pruning season.
Learn More About the Fruit mold ![more]()
Fruit withering
Fungal infection or normal ripening can cause the fruit to dry out.
Overview
Fruit withering is common on many tree fruits, including apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and plums, as well as fruiting shrubs. It is caused by a fungal pathogen and will result in wrinkled and desiccated fruit.
Symptom Analysis
Here are the most common symptoms in the order that they are likely to occur.
- Both leaves and blossom on the tips of branches will go brown and wither.
- Gray powdery patches will appear on infected leaves and flowers, and this will be most apparent after rain.
- Any fruit that does appear will turn wrinkled and fail to develop.
- Branch tips begin to die, progressing back to larger branches, causing general deterioration of the tree or plant.
Disease Cause
The withering is caused by one of two fungal pathogens, one called Monilina laxa and the other called M. fructigen. The spores overwinter on infected plant material and are then spread the following spring by wind, rain, or animal vectors. The problem will start to become noticeable in mid-spring, but will increase in severity as summer progresses and the fungus grows. If not addressed, the disease will intensify and spread to other plants in the vicinity.
Solutions
There are a number of appropriate solutions to control fruit withering:
- Remove any fruit as soon as it shows any signs of infection. Do not compost.
- Use a fungicide prior to leaf bud and then as per manufacturers instructions throughout the season.
Prevention
Preventative measures include:
- Ensuring adequate spacing between plants or trees.
- Staking plants that are prone to tumbling to prevent moisture or humidity build up.
- Prune correctly so that there is adequate air movement and remove any dead or diseased branches that may carry spores.
- Practice good plant hygiene by removing fallen material and destroying it as soon as possible.
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Underwatering
Leaves may wilt for a variety of reasons.
Overview
Underwatering plants is one of the quickest ways to kill them. This is something that most gardeners are well aware of. Unfortunately, knowing exactly how much water a plant needs can be tricky, especially considering that underwatering and overwatering present similar symptoms in plants.
Therefore, it’s important to be vigilant and attentive to each plants’ individual needs.
Symptom Analysis
As mentioned earlier, overwatering and underwatering present similar symptoms in plants. These symptoms include poor growth, wilted leaves, defoliation, and brown leaf tips or margins. Ultimately, both underwatering and overwatering can lead to the death of a plant.
The easiest way to determine whether a plant has too much water or too little is to look at the leaves. If underwatering is the culprit, the leaves will look brown and crunchy, while if it’s overwatering, they will appear yellow or a pale green in color.
When this issue first begins, there may be no noticeable symptoms at all, particularly in hardy or drought-tolerant plants. However, they will begin to wilt once they start suffering from a lack of water. The edges of the plant’s leaves will become brown or curled. Soil pulling away from the edges of the planter is a telltale sign, or a crispy, brittle stem.
Prolonged underwatering can cause a plant’s growth to become stunted. The leaves might drop and the plant can be more susceptible to pest infestations, too.
Disease Cause
Underwatering is caused by, quite simply, not watering plants often or deeply enough. There is a heightened risk of underwatering if any of these situations apply:
- Extreme heat and dry weather (when growing outdoors)
- Grow lights or indoor lighting that is too bright or intense for the type of plant
- Using fast-draining growing media such as sand
Solutions
The easiest (and most obvious) way to address underwatering is to fully hydrate the plant. However, this must be done carefully. A common mistake that many gardeners make is to douse their underwatered plants with water. This can overwhelm the roots of the plant and shock its system, something that can be even more damaging than the lack of water to begin with.
Instead, water thoroughly and slowly, taking breaks to let the water slowly saturate through the soil to get to the roots. Use room temperature water, as cold water might be too much of a shock.
In the future, shorten the time between waterings. A good rule of thumb is to check the soil around each plant daily. If it’s dry to at least two inches down, it’s time to water. If a container plant is repeatedly drying out very quickly, repotting into a slower-draining container might be a good idea, too.
Prevention
Always check the soil before watering. If the top inch of soil feels moist, though not wet, the watering is perfect. If it’s dry, water it immediately. If it feels soggy, you avoid watering until it dries out a bit more.
Also, make sure the lighting is sufficient for the species. Plants grow faster and need more water when there is intense light or lots of heat. Being aware of these conditions and modifying them, if possible, is a good way to prevent underwatering. Many container plants are potted in soil mixtures mean to be well-draining. Adding materials that retain moisture, like compost or peat moss, can also prevent these symptoms.
Other tips to prevent underwatering include:
- Choose pots with adequately-sized drainage holes
- Avoid warm temperatures
- Use large pots with additional soil (these take longer to dry out)
- Avoid terracotta pots, which lose water quickly
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Thrips
Thrips are 1 to 2 mm bugs with slender black or translucent-yellow bodies. They move quickly and feed on the plant's sap.
Overview
Thrips are tiny, flying, sap-sucking insects that attack the tender parts of plants, causing scarring and weakening of the plant and sometimes, if the infestation is severe enough, plant death. They have undersized double wings with a fringe on them, resembling tiny, misshapen damselflies. Thrips have a taste for many houseplants and crops, making them a serious nuisance.
They appear in early spring after the last frost has occurred. If not controlled in early spring, they will persist for most of the season. They are often attracted to weakened plants, such as those struck by drought/underwatering or malnutrition. Excessive use of nitrogen fertilizer also seems to attract them to a plant. Thrips can spread various viruses between plants, leading to more serious damage.
Symptom Analysis
Thrips are so small that they may not be noticed (1 to 2 mm long), but infested plants present several key signs. Tiny pale spots appear on leaves, which may start to deform, show white or silver discoloration, or become papery in texture.
Flower petals may be damaged as well, and might display color break, which is dark or pale discoloring of petal tissue damaged before the buds had a chance to open. Fruits may show scabby or silvery scarring. Tiny black spots of the insects' excrement may be visible.
As the infestation progresses, infested terminals roll and become discolored, and leaves may drop prematurely. The plant's growth may be stunted. Secondary viral and bacterial infections, which thrips can transmit, may become evident.
The good news? Thrips rarely kill or seriously weaken shrubs and trees. Smaller plants, such as vegetable crops and herbaceous ornamentals, tend to be more severely affected.
Solutions
Thrips can be controlled in several ways.
- Spray plants with Pyrethrin, which is an organic pesticide derived from marigolds (follow label instructions) or Permethrin, the synthetic version of Pyrethrin.
- Introduce beneficial insects to the garden that eat thrips, such as minute pirate bugs and green lacewings.
- Remove heavily infested plants from the area and discard.
- Address viral diseases that may have been transmitted by the pests.
- For less serious cases -use a hose to spray the thrips off of the plants.
Prevention
The best way to protect plants from thrips is to take preventative measures.
- Avoid buying and transplanting infected plants. Check for signs of thrip damage before buying.
- Regularly prune off dead branches and leaves.
- Keep the garden weeded and remove debris such as dead branches and leaves.
- Avoid unnecessary use of insecticides as they can kill predatory insects that keep thrips in check.
- Plant a diverse variety of plants in the garden to provide habitat for predatory insects.
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Fruit mold
Fungal infections can cause mold to grow on the surface of the fruit and may also cause decay.
Overview
Fruit mold is the result of fungal infection by one or more of a wide variety of fungal species. Favoring damp and cool conditions, this problem can have a devastating effect on most fruit crops as it tends to occur just when fruit are reaching maturity. Once mold establishes itself, the fruit quickly decays and becomes inedible. The fungus is capable of spreading quickly to other fruit, either or the same plant or on neighboring plants.
Symptom Analysis
Symptoms tend to be obvious but are quick to develop.
- Brown lesions form on the fruit and occasionally the blossoms. These lesions become soft, mushy, and develop a fuzzy gray or brown coating.
- The infection will very quickly spread to any fruit in contact with those that are infected.
- Fruit may drop or remain on the plant and mummify over time.
- Infection may spread to leaves and new branches, eventually leading to demise of the entire plant .
Disease Cause
This condition is caused by one of a number of fungal species which all follow a similar cycle. Spores remain dormant on dead plant material over the winter months and then emerge during the spring when they are carried by the wind or insect vectors to the host plant. Once they land on a plant, often facilitated by damp conditions, the spores will gain entry and breed (sporulate) rapidly. Entry to the plant is often through damage caused by sap-sucking insects.
Solutions
There are some relatively easy steps to stop the spread of fruit mold, but swift action must be taken.
- Prune away infected fruits or flowers. As soon as lesions or fuzz are seen, cut away the infected parts and dispose of them. Do not compost.
- Apply fungicide to plants with mild infections (those with severe infections may need to be destroyed).
- Increase airflow. Since spores are mainly wind born, increasing the airflow around your plants will make them less susceptible to infection. Maintain maximum space between plants and open branch structures during the pruning season.
Prevention
There are easy, preventative steps the gardener can take to stop mold from attacking fruits and fruit-bearing plants:
- Rake up rotting debris when the growing season is over. Fungi can overwinter on rotting debris and reinfect plants the following season. Clear the ground beneath fruit trees and remove hanging mummified fruit.
- Prune off any infected branches.
- Burn all infected debris.
- Preemptively apply fungicide to susceptible plants, especially in the spring. This can help prevent infections from progressing to a stage where fruits are affected.
- Don't overcrowd when planting. Overcrowding will reduce air circulation, leaving plants wetter for longer and increasing the chance of infection.
- Use drip irrigation instead of overhead irrigation. This will help keep plant surfaces free of moisture, while still ensuring roots are getting enough water. Hose-watering should be performed early in the day, with the spray directed at the base of plants.
- Don't over-fertilize early in the spring. Added nutrients will increase leaf size. As leaves can hold moisture and provide a surface for spores to adhere to, this can increase the chance that mold grows on the plant. Fertilizing later in the season, when fruits are ripening, means additional nutrients will be directed towards those fruits, rather than leaves.
- Insect prevention measures will reduce wounds on plants and decrease access points for fungal spores.
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
Treat and prevent plant diseases.
AI-powered plant doctor helps you diagnose plant problems in seconds.
Download the App for Free
Distribution of Soft hornwort
Feedback
Distribution Map of Soft hornwort
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
Your Ultimate Guide to Plants
Identify grow and nurture the better way!
17,000 local species +400,000 global species studied
Nearly 5 years of research
80+ scholars in botany and gardening
Continue reading in our app - it's better
A database of 400000+ plants
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
unlimited guides at your fingertips...
