Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Maranta Arundinacea (Maranta arundinacea)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called arrowroot, West Indian arrowroot.

More about maranta arundinacea

About Maranta Arundinacea

Maranta arundinacea · also called arrowroot, West Indian arrowroot · edible

Maranta arundinacea, West Indian arrowroot, is a tropical rhizomatous perennial grown both as an edible crop and a leafy houseplant. Its starchy rhizomes are the source of culinary arrowroot powder, an easily digested thickener. Taller and plainer-leaved than ornamental marantas, it needs warmth, plenty of moisture and a long frost-free season to bulk up its rhizomes.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (frost-tender; grown as an annual or lifted in cooler zones) · RHS H1b (20-30°C)

Watch for — Poor rhizome yield: Insufficient warmth, water or feeding limits the harvest. Give a long frost-free season, rich moist soil and generous feeding for plump rhizomes.

What maranta arundinacea's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for maranta arundinacea: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". 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 9-11 (frost-tender; grown as an annual or lifted in cooler zones) — 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

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for maranta arundinacea as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can maranta arundinacea go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

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 maranta arundinacea can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Frost protection for borderline maranta arundinacea

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

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Maranta Arundinacea hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is maranta arundinacea cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for maranta arundinacea: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Maranta Arundinacea is grown 9-11 (frost-tender; grown as an annual or lifted in cooler zones); you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature maranta arundinacea can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is maranta arundinacea?

Maranta Arundinacea is rated USDA 9-11 (frost-tender; grown as an annual or lifted in cooler zones) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can maranta arundinacea survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect maranta arundinacea from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.