Plant care
Maranta 'Lemon Lime'temperature & humidity
Maranta leuconeura 'Lemon Lime'
More about maranta 'lemon lime'
Ideal temperature for maranta 'lemon lime'
Temperature kills fewer maranta 'lemon lime' plants than you'd think. What kills them is the micro-climate within a normal-temperature room — a leaf pressed against single-glazed winter glass, the hot dry updraft directly above a radiator, the cold blast from an AC vent. The thermostat reading at 18-24 C (65-75 F) is fine; the spot you put the plant in matters more. Below roughly 18°C the damage starts — soft blackened patches, translucent leaves, sometimes overnight.
Cold tolerance & winter care
Maranta 'Lemon Lime' is frost-tender (USDA 11-12 (outdoors); grown as a houseplant elsewhere, RHS undefined). 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 maranta 'lemon lime'
Maranta 'Lemon Lime' sits happiest at around 50 percent and above relative humidity. Prefers moderate-to-high humidity; below about 40 percent the leaf tips and edges turn brown and crispy. Boost humidity with a room humidifier, a pebble tray, or by grouping plants. Misting helps briefly but is not a reliable substitute for ambient humidity. 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.
Maranta 'Lemon Lime' temperature & humidity — frequently asked questions
What temperature is best for maranta 'lemon lime'?
Maranta 'Lemon Lime' grows best between 18-24 C (65-75 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 maranta 'lemon lime' tolerate?
Maranta 'Lemon Lime' starts to suffer below roughly 18°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 maranta 'lemon lime' need?
Maranta 'Lemon Lime' prefers about 50 percent and above relative humidity. Prefers moderate-to-high humidity; below about 40 percent the leaf tips and edges turn brown and crispy. Boost humidity with a room humidifier, a pebble tray, or by grouping plants. Misting helps briefly but is not a reliable substitute for ambient humidity.
How do I raise humidity for maranta 'lemon lime'?
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 maranta 'lemon lime' live outside?
Maranta 'Lemon Lime' is rated for USDA zone 11-12 (outdoors); grown as a houseplant elsewhere. Outside that range it must come indoors before the first frost — treat any outdoor stint as a summer holiday, not a permanent home.
More maranta 'lemon lime' care
In the UK? Keeping maranta 'lemon lime' warm in a UK home covers the radiator, single-glazing and heating-season humidity angle. Temperature and humidity are one piece. See the full maranta 'lemon lime' care guide, its cold-hardiness guide, and watering schedule — humidity and watering problems are easy to confuse.