Plant care
Red Duriantemperature & humidity
Durio dulcis
More about red durian
Ideal temperature for red durian
Aim for 24-38°C (75-100°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 24°C the damage starts — soft blackened patches, translucent leaves, sometimes overnight.
Cold tolerance & winter care
Red Durian is frost-tender (USDA 12+, RHS H1A). 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 red durian
Red Durian sits happiest at around 75-100% relative humidity. As a lowland Bornean rainforest species, Red Durian requires very high humidity throughout the year. It is not suited to dry or seasonally arid climates. Best grown in humid tropical regions receiving over 2,000 mm of annual rainfall. 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.
Red Durian temperature & humidity — frequently asked questions
What temperature is best for red durian?
Red Durian grows best between 24-38°C (75-100°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 red durian tolerate?
Red Durian starts to suffer below roughly 24°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 red durian need?
Red Durian prefers about 75-100% relative humidity. As a lowland Bornean rainforest species, Red Durian requires very high humidity throughout the year. It is not suited to dry or seasonally arid climates. Best grown in humid tropical regions receiving over 2,000 mm of annual rainfall.
How do I raise humidity for red durian?
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 red durian live outside?
Red Durian is rated for USDA zone 12+ and RHS hardiness H1A. Outside that range it must come indoors before the first frost — treat any outdoor stint as a summer holiday, not a permanent home.
More red durian care
In the UK? Keeping red durian warm in a UK home covers the radiator, single-glazing and heating-season humidity angle. Temperature and humidity are one piece. See the full red durian care guide, its cold-hardiness guide, and watering schedule — humidity and watering problems are easy to confuse.