Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Network Calathea (Calathea Musaica) (Goeppertia kegeljanii 'Network')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Network Calathea, Calathea Musaica, Mosaic Calathea, Network Plant, Network Prayer Plant.

More about network calathea (calathea musaica)

About Network Calathea (Calathea Musaica)

Goeppertia kegeljanii 'Network' · also called Network Calathea, Calathea Musaica · houseplant

The Network Calathea (Goeppertia kegeljanii 'Network') is a tropical prayer plant prized for leaves etched with a fine green mosaic. It needs bright indirect light, evenly moist soil, warmth, and high humidity, and is one of the easier calatheas. The ASPCA lists Calathea as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, making it pet-safe.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost hardy) (18-30°C)

What network calathea (calathea musaica)'s hardiness rating actually means

Network Calathea (Calathea Musaica) 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). Network Calathea (Calathea Musaica) has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for network calathea (calathea musaica) 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 network calathea (calathea musaica) 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 network calathea (calathea musaica) can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Network Calathea (Calathea Musaica) hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is network calathea (calathea musaica) cold hardy?

Network Calathea (Calathea Musaica) 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. Network Calathea (Calathea Musaica) 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 network calathea (calathea musaica) can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is network calathea (calathea musaica)?

Network Calathea (Calathea Musaica) 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 network calathea (calathea musaica) 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 network calathea (calathea musaica) 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.