Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Maranta Bicolor (Maranta bicolor)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called two-colour prayer plant, bicolor prayer plant.

More about maranta bicolor

About Maranta Bicolor

Maranta bicolor · also called two-colour prayer plant, bicolor prayer plant · houseplant

Maranta bicolor is a compact prayer plant with rounded blue-green leaves marked by dark green blotches along the midrib and purple-tinged undersides. Slightly tougher than the red-veined maranta, it folds its leaves upright at night. A low, spreading tabletop or hanging plant, it wants warmth, even moisture, soft water and good humidity to keep its markings sharp.

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

Watch for — Curling leaves: Indicates underwatering or low humidity. Keep the soil evenly moist and move away from drafts and heat sources.

What maranta bicolor's hardiness rating actually means

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

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

Maranta Bicolor hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is maranta bicolor cold hardy?

Maranta Bicolor 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. Maranta Bicolor can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 11-12 (indoor in most US homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature maranta bicolor can survive?

What hardiness zone is maranta bicolor?

Maranta Bicolor is rated USDA 11-12 (indoor 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 maranta bicolor 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 maranta bicolor 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.