Plant care
Cape Mallowtemperature & humidity
Anisodontea capensis
More about cape mallow
Ideal temperature for cape mallow
Aim for 1 to 30°C (34 to 86°F) on the thermostat and you've handled the easy part. The hard part is the half-metre around the plant: window glass that drops to near-freezing on a January night, a radiator pumping out hot dry air, a draught from an opened front door. Move the plant 30 cm and you've usually fixed the problem. Below roughly 1°C the damage starts — soft blackened patches, translucent leaves, sometimes overnight.
Cold tolerance & winter care
Cape Mallow is frost-tender (USDA 9-11, RHS H2). It cannot survive a frost, so in most of the US and UK it lives indoors year-round or summers outside and comes back in well before the first autumn frost — once nights drop toward 10-12°C is the cue, not the first frost warning. Acclimate it over a week when moving between indoors and out so the leaves do not shock.
Humidity for cape mallow
Cape Mallow sits happiest at around Low to moderate (40–60%) relative humidity. Tolerates the dry air of a sunny greenhouse; high humidity combined with poor ventilation encourages whitefly and red spider mite. The usual low-humidity tell is crisp brown leaf tips and edges while the soil moisture is fine — a sign the air, not the watering, is the problem. If you need to raise it, the reliable methods are grouping plants together, standing the pot on a tray of damp pebbles (the pot above the waterline, never in it), or running a small humidifier in winter when indoor heating dries the air most. Misting is the least effective — it raises humidity for minutes, not hours.
Cape Mallow temperature & humidity — frequently asked questions
What temperature is best for cape mallow?
Cape Mallow grows best between 1 to 30°C (34 to 86°F). Keep it out of cold draughts, off freezing windowsills in winter, and away from the hot dry air directly above radiators — the extremes matter far more than the average room temperature.
How cold can cape mallow tolerate?
Cape Mallow starts to suffer below roughly 1°C. It is frost-tender and will be damaged or killed by a frost, so bring it indoors once nights fall toward 10-12°C.
What humidity does cape mallow need?
Cape Mallow prefers about Low to moderate (40–60%) relative humidity. Tolerates the dry air of a sunny greenhouse; high humidity combined with poor ventilation encourages whitefly and red spider mite.
How do I raise humidity for cape mallow?
Group it with other plants, stand the pot on a tray of damp pebbles (kept above the waterline), or run a small humidifier in winter. Misting only helps for a few minutes, so it is the weakest option for a plant that genuinely needs more humidity.
Can cape mallow live outside?
Cape Mallow is rated for USDA zone 9-11 and RHS hardiness H2. Outside that range it must come indoors before the first frost — treat any outdoor stint as a summer holiday, not a permanent home.
More cape mallow care
In the UK? Keeping cape mallow warm in a UK home covers the radiator, single-glazing and heating-season humidity angle. Temperature and humidity are one piece. See the full cape mallow care guide, its cold-hardiness guide, and watering schedule — humidity and watering problems are easy to confuse.