Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Maranta 'Lemon Lime' (Maranta leuconeura 'Lemon Lime')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Lemon Lime Prayer Plant, Lemon Lime Maranta, Prayer Plant, Maranta.

More about maranta 'lemon lime'

About Maranta 'Lemon Lime'

Maranta leuconeura 'Lemon Lime' · also called Lemon Lime Prayer Plant, Lemon Lime Maranta · houseplant

The Maranta 'Lemon Lime' is a compact prayer plant prized for neon-green leaves that fold upward at night. It thrives in bright indirect light, evenly moist soil with filtered water, and humidity above 50 percent. The ASPCA lists Maranta and the prayer plant group as non-toxic, making it a safe, pet-friendly houseplant.

Cold limit: USDA 11-12 (outdoors); grown as a houseplant elsewhere (18-24 C)

Watch for — Curling or rolling leaves: Most often underwatering or low humidity; can also signal direct sun, cold drafts or spider mites. Check soil moisture, increase humidity, and inspect leaf undersides for pests.

What maranta 'lemon lime''s hardiness rating actually means

Maranta 'Lemon Lime' 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 (outdoors); grown as a houseplant elsewhere — 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 'Lemon Lime' has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

Maranta 'Lemon Lime' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is maranta 'lemon lime' cold hardy?

Maranta 'Lemon Lime' 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 'Lemon Lime' can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 11-12 (outdoors); grown as a houseplant elsewhere); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature maranta 'lemon lime' can survive?

What hardiness zone is maranta 'lemon lime'?

Maranta 'Lemon Lime' is rated USDA 11-12 (outdoors); grown as a houseplant elsewhere and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can maranta 'lemon lime' 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 'lemon lime' 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.