Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Scindapsus Treubii Moonlight (Scindapsus treubii 'Moonlight')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Moonlight Scindapsus, Sterling Silver, Sterling Silver Scindapsus.

More about scindapsus treubii moonlight

About Scindapsus Treubii Moonlight

Scindapsus treubii 'Moonlight' · also called Moonlight Scindapsus, Sterling Silver · houseplant

Scindapsus treubii 'Moonlight' is a slow-growing trailing or climbing aroid prized for thick, silvery-green oval leaves. It thrives in bright indirect light, dries between waterings, and tolerates average home humidity. Easy and forgiving, but toxic to cats and dogs: its genus relative satin pothos is ASPCA-listed for insoluble calcium oxalates.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere) (18-24C ideal (tolerates 13-30C))

Watch for — Root rot: Caused by waterlogged, poorly drained soil; roots turn soft, brown, and mushy. Use a chunky aroid mix, a pot with drainage, and water less in winter.

What scindapsus treubii moonlight's hardiness rating actually means

Scindapsus Treubii Moonlight 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 H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-12 (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 5 °C (and never frost). Scindapsus Treubii Moonlight has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for scindapsus treubii moonlight as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °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 scindapsus treubii moonlight go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 scindapsus treubii moonlight can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Scindapsus Treubii Moonlight hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is scindapsus treubii moonlight cold hardy?

Scindapsus Treubii Moonlight 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. Scindapsus Treubii Moonlight can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature scindapsus treubii moonlight can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Scindapsus Treubii Moonlight has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is scindapsus treubii moonlight?

Scindapsus Treubii Moonlight is rated USDA 10-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can scindapsus treubii moonlight survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 scindapsus treubii moonlight below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °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.