Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Calathea Compact Star (Goeppertia majestica 'Compact Star')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called compact star calathea.

More about calathea compact star

About Calathea Compact Star

Goeppertia majestica 'Compact Star' · also called compact star calathea · houseplant

Calathea Compact Star is a dense prayer plant prized for upright, narrow leaves striped in pale green and pink fishbone bands that flush burgundy underneath. It thrives in warm, humid, bright-indirect light and reacts sharply to fluoride, hard water and dry air. A compact, clumping habit makes it a forgiving, pet-safe choice for shelves and terrariums.

Cold limit: USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most US homes) · RHS H1b (18-27°C)

Watch for — Curling or limp leaves: A sign of underwatering or cold, dry air. Check soil moisture and move away from heaters and draughts.

What calathea compact star's hardiness rating actually means

Calathea Compact Star is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most US homes) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Calathea Compact Star has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for calathea compact star as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can calathea compact star go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when calathea compact star can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Calathea Compact Star hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is calathea compact star cold hardy?

Calathea Compact Star is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Calathea Compact Star can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most US homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature calathea compact star can survive?

What hardiness zone is calathea compact star?

Calathea Compact Star is rated USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most US homes) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can calathea compact star survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to calathea compact star below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.