Can I Grow Asystasia in Oklahoma?

USDA Zones 6b-8b · Plant zone range 10-13

Unlikely — Zone Mismatch

asystasia (zones 10-13) does not overlap with Oklahoma's zone range (6b-8b). Growing outdoors is unlikely without significant protection.

2 zones short — what would close it

Asystasia is hardy to zone 10, and the warmest ground in Oklahoma is zone 8 — 2 zones short. Planted in open ground it will not survive a Oklahoma winter. To grow it here, grow asystasia under glass — a greenhouse is the only lift this wide the engine models.

A greenhouse is the lift this needs. How a greenhouse changes what you can grow →

Zone math from 10-13 (plant) against 6-8 (Oklahoma). Lift modeled by crop_engine Sprint 20B effective_zone_modifier (+2 zones) via api/fast_sections.py Unlock Engine v2.

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Your yard isn't the whole zone.

Oklahoma spans zones 6b-8b, but your yard has its own microclimate — slope, trees, and low spots shift frost and sun across a single parcel. Enter your address and we'll score asystasia against your land's actual soil, sun, and frost.

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Zone Comparison

Asystasia Needs

  • USDA Zones: 10-13
  • Frost-Free Days: 42+
  • Sun: Part Sun

Oklahoma Has

  • USDA Zones: 6b-8b
  • Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 15 - Mar 26
  • First Hard Freeze (28°F): Nov 9 - Nov 14
  • Annual Rainfall: 15-56 inches
  • Common Soils: Red clay, Sandy loam, Prairie loam

Plant Zone Range (zones 10-13)

10a
13b
3a (Cold)13b (Hot)

Preferred Soil pH

3.5 (Acidic)7.0 (Neutral)9.0 (Alkaline)
Highlighted range: pH 3.55.0

Plant data: USDA PLANTS Database / Growable Ground plant catalog. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.

When to Plant Asystasia in Oklahoma

The frost window

Across Oklahoma, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 15 and Mar 26, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 9 and Nov 14 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 228-day window you can count on — up to 244 days on a mild site in a kind year. That marks the hard freeze, not the last light frost, so tender transplants usually wait another 2-3 weeks.

Frost tenderness

Asystasia is frost-tender — its listed minimum temperature is 46.4°F (USDA PLANTS Database) — so set plants out two to three weeks PAST your local last hard freeze, not on it and not on the state's earliest date. The 28°F marker above is when killing freezes stop, not when light frost does.

When to start the seed

Asystasia is direct-sown where it grows rather than started under cover, so there is no seed-tray head start to bank — Oklahoma's dates above are the whole calendar for it. That makes the last-freeze date the binding constraint, and a warmer pocket of your own yard is worth more to this crop than it is to a transplanted one.

Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Cimarron County, not the statewide average.

Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: USDA PLANTS Database. Your site's own frost dates can run earlier or later than the state range — a parcel report pins them down.

Growing Season Fit

The zone check says asystasia does not survive a Oklahoma winter in the ground. The season figures below measure a different question — whether it could finish a season here at all — and they only bear on Oklahoma under protection.

Frost-free days

Asystasia wants 42+ frost-free days; a typical Oklahoma site sees ~237 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). That leaves comfortable headroom for succession planting.

GDD and chill-hour figures are computed from PRISM 1991-2020 monthly climate normals; frost-free days from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020. Each is the state median across its counties (P25/P75 span the within-state spread). Hardiness-zone range is USDA PHZM 2023.

Soil + Drainage Fit

Asystasia prefers acidic soil (pH 3.5-5). Oklahoma's red clay can run on the acidic side, which often aligns well — confirm with a soil test before planting. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 4 and 4.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Oklahoma soil test result is a problem or just a number. Drainage matters: this plant wants poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells). If your Oklahoma site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, raised beds or amendment with compost solve it.

Your land, not the state average

Oklahoma soil pH runs about 5.9–7.0, and that sits above asystasia's tolerated 3.5–5, so the typical Oklahoma parcel needs sulfur to bring it down. SSURGO maps it swinging by full points parcel to parcel, so your map unit, not the state number, decides whether asystasia needs lime or sulfur.

Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.

Plant pH and drainage requirements from USDA PLANTS Database. Oklahoma soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.

Asystasia in Oklahoma — Quick Answer

  • Verdict: Unlikely — Zone Mismatch
  • Plant Zones: 10-13 (USDA PLANTS Database)
  • State Zones: 6b-8b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023)
  • Growing Season: 28°F hard freezes about Mar 15 - Mar 26 to Nov 9 - Nov 14 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020)

What Else to Consider for Asystasia in Oklahoma

Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Oklahoma growers also need to think about:

Extreme weather variability (tornadoes, ice storms, drought)

Red clay soils drain poorly in central OK

Low western rainfall requires irrigation

Growing asystasia here specifically

Asystasia does best acidic (pH 3.5–5.0); Oklahoma soils average near pH 6.5, alkaline enough to yellow its leaves as micronutrients lock away.

Work in elemental sulfur or acidic organic matter to pull your parcel toward pH 3.5–5.0, then retest. How to handle it →

What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Oklahoma grower, not just asystasia — is covered on the Oklahoma growing guide.

Timing shifts within Oklahoma

Oklahoma isn't one climate. In Cimarron County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 13 — roughly 24 days later than the recorded state median — so plant asystasia to your county's window, not the statewide date.

Asystasia needs about 42 days of frost-free season to complete its cycle. Even Cimarron County — Oklahoma’s shortest season at 197 frost-free days — clears that by 155 days, so season length isn’t the constraint anywhere in Oklahoma. What varies is your own parcel.

Across Oklahoma’s 77 counties the frost-free season runs from 197 days in Cimarron County to 267 days in Choctaw County — a spread of 70 days, which is why a single statewide planting date misleads. The median Oklahoma county sees 237 frost-free days, leaving asystasia about 195 days of slack on a typical parcel — room for a second sowing where the season runs long.

County last-freeze dates and frost-free day counts: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). Asystasia's 42-day requirement: USDA PLANTS / Growable Ground plant database (minimum frost-free days). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.

Pollinator + Wildlife Value

Asystasia draws honeybees, native bees, and butterflies (moderate value, Growable Ground Plant Database). Planting it near vegetable beds can lift fruit set on neighboring crops. Outdoors, asystasia can only work that bloom inside Oklahoma's frost window — roughly 237 days, opening after the last 28°F freeze (Mar 15 - Mar 26) and closing at the first (Nov 9 - Nov 14), per NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020.

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension

For Oklahoma-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for asystasia, the canonical source is Oklahoma State University Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.

Is Asystasia native to Oklahoma?

No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Asystasia as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Oklahoma's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Oklahoma natives keeps local pollinators fed too.

Looking for plants that belong here? The Oklahoma growing guide lists USDA-documented natives for the state.

Native-range data: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution records, accessed 2026-07-01.

Common Questions About Growing Asystasia in Oklahoma

When can I plant Asystasia in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 15 and Mar 26, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Nov 9 and Nov 14 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Asystasia is frost-tender — its listed minimum temperature is 46.4°F (USDA PLANTS Database) — so wait two to three weeks past your site's last hard freeze, when light frost has also stopped, before planting out.

What hardiness zone is Asystasia grown in across Oklahoma?

Oklahoma spans USDA hardiness zones 6b-8b (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Asystasia carries a range of zones 10-13, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.

How many frost-free days does a typical Oklahoma site have?

A typical Oklahoma site sees ~237 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Asystasia needs 42+ frost-free days, so check whether your local microclimate runs above or below the state average before settling on a planting date. In cooler counties like Cimarron, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.

Is Asystasia native to Oklahoma?

No — the USDA PLANTS Database lists Asystasia as introduced rather than native in the Lower 48, so it is not part of Oklahoma's native flora. It grows here as a garden plant; pairing it with a few Oklahoma natives keeps local pollinators fed too.

How should I amend the soil for Asystasia in Oklahoma?

Asystasia prefers pH 3.5-5 and poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells) drainage (FAO ECOCROP). Most Oklahoma soils run mildly acidic to neutral; many sites land near this band naturally, and a soil test plus targeted sulfur or organic amendment closes any gap.

Will Asystasia actually grow on my specific land in Oklahoma?

State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores asystasia against your address's exact soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.

Free Report

Check your specific parcel in Oklahoma

State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores asystasia against your parcel's exact soil, sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.

Three things about your lot that Oklahoma asystasia averages can't show:

Your soil pHYour frost-free days — Oklahoma averages 237Your sun & shade

We read public map data around Oklahoma — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.

25+ data sources read at your address, not the Oklahoma asystasia average

Analysis by the Growable Ground research team, grounded in USDA PLANTS, USDA NRCS SSURGO, NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020), and named Cooperative Extension sources. How we know →

Cite this dataset

Kirchick, M. (2026). Growable Ground Plant Database [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21435643

Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21435643

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