Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Pinstripe Calathea (Goeppertia ornata)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Pinstripe Calathea, Pinstripe Plant, Pin-Stripe Prayer Plant, Calathea ornata.

More about pinstripe calathea

About Pinstripe Calathea

Goeppertia ornata · also called Pinstripe Calathea, Pinstripe Plant · houseplant

The Pinstripe Calathea (Goeppertia ornata) is a tropical prayer plant prized for dark leaves striped fine pink, with purple undersides that fold up at night. It wants bright indirect light, consistently moist soil watered with distilled or filtered water, and high humidity. The ASPCA lists Calathea as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Cold limit: USDA USDA zones 11-12 (tender; grow as a houseplant, keep above 15°C / 60°F) (18-29°C)

Watch for — Yellowing leaves: Most often overwatering and soggy roots, though severe underwatering or cold drafts can also cause it. Check that the pot drains freely and let only the top inch of soil dry between waterings.

What pinstripe calathea's hardiness rating actually means

Pinstripe Calathea 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 USDA zones 11-12 (tender; grow as a houseplant, keep above 15°C / 60°F) — 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). Pinstripe Calathea has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for pinstripe calathea 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 pinstripe calathea 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 pinstripe calathea can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Pinstripe Calathea hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is pinstripe calathea cold hardy?

Pinstripe Calathea 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. Pinstripe Calathea can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA USDA zones 11-12 (tender; grow as a houseplant, keep above 15°C / 60°F)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature pinstripe calathea can survive?

What hardiness zone is pinstripe calathea?

Pinstripe Calathea is rated USDA USDA zones 11-12 (tender; grow as a houseplant, keep above 15°C / 60°F) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can pinstripe calathea 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 pinstripe calathea 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.