Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is String of pickles (Othonna capensis 'Little Pickles' (syn. Crassothonna capensis))cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called ruby necklace, string of rubies, little pickles, string of pickles.

More about string of pickles

About String of pickles

Othonna capensis 'Little Pickles' (syn. Crassothonna capensis) · also called ruby necklace, string of rubies · houseplant

String of pickles (Othonna capensis 'Little Pickles') is a trailing South African succulent with bean-shaped leaves on purple stems that flush ruby-red in strong light, plus small yellow daisy flowers. It needs bright light, gritty soil, and sparse soak-and-dry watering. Not on the ASPCA list, so treat as mildly toxic and verify with a vet.

Cold limit: USDA 9b-11 (indoor-only / container in most climates; not hardy below about -7°C / 20°F) (18-27°C)

What string of pickles's hardiness rating actually means

String of pickles 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 9b-11 (indoor-only / container in most climates; not hardy below about -7°C / 20°F) — 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). String of pickles has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

String of pickles hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is string of pickles cold hardy?

String of pickles 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. String of pickles can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 9b-11 (indoor-only / container in most climates; not hardy below about -7°C / 20°F)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature string of pickles can survive?

What hardiness zone is string of pickles?

String of pickles is rated USDA 9b-11 (indoor-only / container in most climates; not hardy below about -7°C / 20°F) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can string of pickles 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 string of pickles 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.