Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Calathea Warscewiczii Jungle Velvet Dark (Goeppertia warscewiczii 'Dark')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called dark jungle velvet calathea.

More about calathea warscewiczii jungle velvet dark

About Calathea Warscewiczii Jungle Velvet Dark

Goeppertia warscewiczii 'Dark' · also called dark jungle velvet calathea · houseplant

Calathea Jungle Velvet Dark is a deeper-coloured selection of the warscewiczii prayer plant, with large, soft, velvety lance-shaped leaves in near-black green over a fishtail pattern and deep maroon undersides. It produces cone-like cream flowers and craves warmth, steady moisture, high humidity and pure water. The lush foliage is non-toxic and safe for pets.

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

Watch for — Drooping or wilting: Underwatering, cold or draughts stress this big plant. Keep soil evenly moist and temperatures above 18°C, away from draughts.

What calathea warscewiczii jungle velvet dark's hardiness rating actually means

Calathea Warscewiczii Jungle Velvet Dark 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 Warscewiczii Jungle Velvet Dark has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

Calathea Warscewiczii Jungle Velvet Dark hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is calathea warscewiczii jungle velvet dark cold hardy?

Calathea Warscewiczii Jungle Velvet Dark 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 Warscewiczii Jungle Velvet Dark 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 warscewiczii jungle velvet dark can survive?

What hardiness zone is calathea warscewiczii jungle velvet dark?

Calathea Warscewiczii Jungle Velvet Dark 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 warscewiczii jungle velvet dark 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 warscewiczii jungle velvet dark 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.