Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Table Fern (Pteris vittata)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Table Fern, Ladder Brake Fern, Arsenic Fern.

More about table fern

About Table Fern

Pteris vittata · also called Table Fern, Ladder Brake Fern · houseplant

Pteris vittata is a fast, finely cut brake fern with ladder-like fronds of narrow pinnae on wiry stems. It is famous as a hyperaccumulator that pulls arsenic from soil. Indoors it makes an easy, airy tabletop fern, tolerating more light and slightly drier spells than most ferns while still wanting steady moisture and humidity.

Cold limit: USDA 8-11 outdoors; grown as a houseplant in cooler zones · RHS H2 (16-24°C)

What table fern's hardiness rating actually means

Table Fern 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 8-11 outdoors; grown as a houseplant in cooler zones — 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. Table Fern shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for table fern 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 table fern go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 8-11 outdoors; grown as a houseplant in cooler zones 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 table fern 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 table fern

Table Fern 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.

Table Fern hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is table fern cold hardy?

Table Fern 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 8-11 outdoors; grown as a houseplant in cooler zones (and sheltered UK gardens) table fern can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature table fern can survive?

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

What hardiness zone is table fern?

Table Fern is rated USDA 8-11 outdoors; grown as a houseplant in cooler zones and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can table fern survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 8-11 outdoors; grown as a houseplant in cooler zones 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 table fern 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.