Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Calathea 'Maui Queen' (Goeppertia louisae 'Maui Queen')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Calathea 'Maui Queen', Maui Queen prayer plant, Calathea louisae 'Maui Queen'.

More about calathea 'maui queen'

About Calathea 'Maui Queen'

Goeppertia louisae 'Maui Queen' · also called Calathea 'Maui Queen', Maui Queen prayer plant · houseplant

Calathea 'Maui Queen' is a compact prayer plant grown for feathery green-and-cream variegated foliage that folds upward at night. It needs bright indirect light, evenly moist soil watered with filtered or rainwater, and 50-60% humidity. The ASPCA lists Calathea as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, so it is pet-safe.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost-hardy) (18-27°C)

What calathea 'maui queen''s hardiness rating actually means

Calathea 'Maui Queen' 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 H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-11 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost-hardy) — 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 5 °C (and never frost). Calathea 'Maui Queen' has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for calathea 'maui queen' as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °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 'maui queen' go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 'maui queen' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Calathea 'Maui Queen' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is calathea 'maui queen' cold hardy?

Calathea 'Maui Queen' 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 'Maui Queen' can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-11 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost-hardy)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature calathea 'maui queen' can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Calathea 'Maui Queen' has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is calathea 'maui queen'?

Calathea 'Maui Queen' is rated USDA 10-11 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost-hardy) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can calathea 'maui queen' survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 'maui queen' below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °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.