Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Cigarette Plant (Cheiridopsis cigarettifera)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Cigarette Plant, Cheiridopsis Cigarette.

More about cigarette plant

About Cigarette Plant

Cheiridopsis cigarettifera · also called Cigarette Plant, Cheiridopsis Cigarette · houseplant

Cheiridopsis cigarettifera is a South African mesemb succulent named for its cylindrical, finger-like paired leaves that resemble a cigarette. Pale yellow to cream flowers appear in late winter and spring. It follows a winter-active, summer-dormant cycle and excels on a hot, sunny windowsill with minimal summer water.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 · RHS H2 (5–30°C)

Watch for — Leaf pair not splitting: If the current leaf pair fails to split and produce a new pair in autumn, the plant may be too dry at the wrong time or lacking light. Ensure bright light is maintained through winter and begin autumn watering as soon as temperatures cool.

What cigarette plant's hardiness rating actually means

Cigarette Plant is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9-11 — 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 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Cigarette Plant shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for cigarette plant as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about 1 to 5 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can cigarette plant go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

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 cigarette plant can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline cigarette plant

Cigarette Plant is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Cigarette Plant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is cigarette plant cold hardy?

Cigarette Plant is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 9-11 (and sheltered UK gardens) cigarette plant can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature cigarette plant can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Cigarette Plant shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

What hardiness zone is cigarette plant?

Cigarette Plant is rated USDA 9-11 and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can cigarette plant survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect cigarette plant from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.