Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called airplane plant, ribbon plant, spider ivy.

About Spider plant

Chlorophytum comosum · also called airplane plant, ribbon plant · houseplant

Spider plant is a beginner-favourite trailer with arching grassy leaves and dangling pups that root readily. It tolerates a wide range of household conditions but is famously fussy about fluoride in tap water. Pet-safe by ASPCA standards.

Chlorophytum comosum is an evergreen perennial of the asparagus family native to tropical and southern Africa, ranging from West Africa and Ethiopia to South Africa, and naturalised widely elsewhere.

Plantlet production is photoperiodic: arching scapes form baby plantlets when the mother plant gets short days and long uninterrupted nights (under ~12 hours light) for about three weeks, making propagation by these plantlets trivial. It is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (outdoors in mild climates, indoors elsewhere) · RHS H2 (tender, indoor or summer outdoors) (15-24°C)

Sources: plants.ces.ncsu.edu, en.wikipedia.org, missouribotanicalgarden.org

What spider plant's hardiness rating actually means

Spider plant is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9-11 (outdoors in mild climates, indoors 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 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Spider plant shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for spider plant as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about 1 to 5 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can spider plant go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 (outdoors in mild climates, indoors elsewhere) or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

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 spider plant can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline spider plant

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

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Spider plant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is spider plant cold hardy?

Spider plant is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 9-11 (outdoors in mild climates, indoors elsewhere) (and sheltered UK gardens) spider plant can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature spider plant can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Spider plant shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

What hardiness zone is spider plant?

Spider plant is rated USDA 9-11 (outdoors in mild climates, indoors elsewhere) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can spider plant survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 9-11 (outdoors in mild climates, indoors elsewhere) or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect spider plant from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.