Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito' (Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Mojito Chinese money plant, variegated UFO plant.

More about pilea peperomioides 'mojito'

About Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito'

Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito' · also called Mojito Chinese money plant, variegated UFO plant · houseplant

Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito' is a variegated sport of the popular Chinese money plant, its round, coin-like leaves splashed and speckled with creamy-yellow flecks on long petioles. It keeps the easy, upright UFO-plant charm but with painterly variegation. It wants bright indirect light, a free-draining mix and water only when the topsoil dries. It is pet-safe.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (indoor in most US homes) · RHS H1b (16-24°C)

Watch for — Drooping or cupping leaves: Often underwatering or, conversely, sudden temperature shifts. Check soil moisture and keep it away from cold draughts and heat sources.

What pilea peperomioides 'mojito''s hardiness rating actually means

Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito' 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 10-11 (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). Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito' has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is pilea peperomioides 'mojito' cold hardy?

Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito' 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. Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito' can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-11 (indoor in most US homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature pilea peperomioides 'mojito' can survive?

What hardiness zone is pilea peperomioides 'mojito'?

Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito' is rated USDA 10-11 (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 pilea peperomioides 'mojito' 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 pilea peperomioides 'mojito' 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.