Generally — Most Areas
loblolly pine (zones 6-9) suits most of Missouri (5b-8a) — zones 6-8 are in range, and the rest of the state is the exception.
Loblolly Pine in Missouri — the short answer
Loblolly Pine in Missouri: hardy in zones 6–9, full sun.
- Plant zones
- 6-9
- Rated hardy to zone 6a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.
- Missouri zones
- 5b-8a
- USDA PHZM 2023
- Frost window
- Mar 27 - Apr 2 – Oct 31 - Nov 7
- NOAA RCC ACIS 1991-2020, 28°F
- Shortest county season
- 192 days
- NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020, county 28°F killing freeze
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset.
Your yard isn't the whole zone.
Missouri spans zones 5b-8a, but your yard sits in exactly one — and slope, tree cover, and cold-air pockets nudge it further. Enter your address and we'll score loblolly pine against your parcel's actual hardiness, soil, and sun.
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Missouri is not one climate
Missouri’s winter-low ladder runs across 115 counties, from zone 5.5 in Atchison County to zone 7.5 in Pemiscot County. That is 20°F between the two counties’ average coldest night — the difference between loblolly pine overwintering in the ground and coming under cover.
The middle half of 115 counties runs 6–7 zones, with a median of 6.5 zones — a 2-zone span end to end.
Measured across 115 Missouri counties. USDA PHZM 2023, per county. Quartiles are order statistics — every figure shown is a value a real county recorded, not an interpolation. Your own site sits somewhere inside this range; a parcel report resolves where.
Where in Missouri Fits Best
Loblolly Pine is rated for zones 6–9 — a cold floor USDA puts at -10 to 0°F. Against Missouri’s 115 counties that band holds in 110 of them, and the line runs at Adair County (zone 6a), the coldest county still inside it.
Inside zones 6–9
110 counties
- Andrew County · zone 6a
- Buchanan County · zone 6a
- Caldwell County · zone 6a
3 of 110 shown
Below the zone 6 floor
5 counties
- Atchison County · zone 5b
- Harrison County · zone 5b
- Nodaway County · zone 5b
3 of 5 shown
Winter cold is the limit here — the same plant works in a container that comes under cover.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. A zone is a 10°F band of average annual extreme minimum temperature, so the floor above is the band the plant's rating denotes, not a single measured kill point. Slope, shelter and cold-air drainage routinely move a site half a zone either way from its county figure — which is the part only your address resolves.
Even within Missouri's zones 5b-8a, county microclimates differ enough to change what thrives. These counties carry the closest zone match for loblolly pine (USDA PHZM 2023):
Zone Comparison
Loblolly Pine Needs
- USDA Zones: 6-9
- Sun: Full Sun
- Mature size: 90 ft tallWe haven't confirmed this against a published source yet.
- Drought tolerance: Low
Missouri Has
- USDA Zones: 5b-8a
- Last Hard Freeze (28°F): Mar 27 - Apr 2
- First Hard Freeze (28°F): Oct 31 - Nov 7
- Annual Rainfall: 34-50 inches
- Common Soils: Silt loam, Clay loam, Loess
Plant Zone Range (zones 6-9)
Preferred Soil pH
Plant data: Growable Ground Plant Database, compiled from FAO ECOCROP, USDA PLANTS, and university Extension sources — per-field provenance varies and is published with the dataset. State data: USDA ARS PHZM 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NRCS SSURGO.
When to Plant Loblolly Pine in Missouri
The frost window
Across Missouri, the last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 31 and Nov 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Counting from the latest last freeze to the earliest first freeze, that's a 212-day window you can count on — up to 225 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.
Winter standing
Missouri runs as cold as USDA zone 5, and no sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for loblolly pine, so this page does not state whether it overwinters here — and gives no fall establishment date on the strength of a guess. Whether loblolly pine is a permanent planting or a replant-every-spring crop for you turns on your own zone within Missouri; check its hardiness range against that before treating it as long-lived ground.
Timing tuned to sub-state frost dates — Crawford County, not the statewide average.
Frost window: NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020. Plant timing fields: Growable Ground Plant Database — frost-free days from FAO ECOCROP, days to harvest from university Extension production guides, and growing-degree-day and chill-hour minimums that are compilation estimates rather than published figures. 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 loblolly pine survives winter in part of Missouri, not across all of it. Whether the season is long enough — and warm enough — is a different question.
Chill hours
Loblolly Pine requires ~200 chill hours (32-45°F dormancy window). Missouri typically banks ~2500 chill hours per winter (from PRISM 1991-2020 climate normals), which keeps this plant on track.
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
Loblolly Pine likes near-neutral soil (pH 4-6.5). That's the common-ground band across Missouri's silt loam and clay loam — a soil test confirms it for your site. It will grow across that whole span, but it does best between pH 4.5 and 5.5 — worth knowing before you decide whether a Missouri 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 Missouri site is heavier clay or sits in a low spot, a raised bed lifts the roots above wet ground, or work in compost.
Your land, not the state average
SSURGO maps about 31.8% of Missouri as poorly or somewhat-poorly drained, and the class flips parcel to parcel. Loblolly Pine has low drought tolerance, so it is the fast-draining end that will cost you — your soil map unit, not the state average, is the real answer.
Check your parcel → Source: USDA NRCS SSURGO.
Plant pH requirements: FAO ECOCROP and USDA PLANTS, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Drainage: FAO ECOCROP, with the remaining rows from other published sources or Growable Ground compilation. Missouri soil profile from USDA NRCS SSURGO. Site-specific verification: a 30-minute soil test from your local Extension lab.
What Else to Consider for Loblolly Pine in Missouri
Zone compatibility tells you about winter cold survival — but Missouri growers also need to think about:
Highly variable weather with late frosts and early heat
Heavy clay soils in many regions
Ozark soils are thin and rocky
Growing loblolly pine here specifically
Loblolly Pine rates to USDA zones 6–9 and takes frost damage on growing tissue around 32°F (FAO ECOCROP), but cold isn't the risk in Missouri — wet is: with roughly 31.8% of its soils poorly-drained (SSURGO), soggy ground rots the crown.
Give loblolly pine a raised bed or mounded row with coarse amendment so its crown never sit wet. How to handle it →
What to actually do about these — and the constraints that apply to every Missouri grower, not just loblolly pine — is covered on the Missouri growing guide.
Timing shifts within Missouri
Missouri isn't one climate. In Crawford County, the last hard freeze (28°F) holds until about Apr 10 — roughly 12 days later than the recorded state median — so plant loblolly pine to your county's window, not the statewide date.
County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F freeze (earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost"). A parcel report resolves your address's own frost dates.
Where in Missouri Loblolly Pine Is Zone-Hardy
Loblolly Pine is rated for USDA zones 6–9. 110 of Missouri’s 115 counties fall inside that band. The coldest that does is Adair County at zone 6a. 5 counties sit below the plant’s zone 6 floor, where an unprotected plant is relying on snow cover and a mild year. Where you are in Missouri decides this one.
Across those 115 counties Missouri’s winter-low ladder runs from zone 5b in Atchison County to zone 7b in Pemiscot County — 2 USDA zones of spread, which is 20°F between the two counties’ average coldest night of the year. That is why a statewide hardiness answer is where you start and not where you finish.
The planting window moves with it. Crawford County holds its last hard freeze (28°F) until about Apr 10, while Pemiscot County is clear by Mar 9 — 32 days apart. Set loblolly pine out on your county’s date, not the state’s.
County hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM) 2023, per county. County last-freeze dates: NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS (1991-2020), county 28°F killing freeze — earlier than the folk 32°F "last frost". Loblolly Pine’s zone 6–9 band: Rated hardy to zone 6a by NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, checked Oct 2026. Ceiling: our plant database.. A parcel report resolves your address’s own zone and frost dates rather than its county’s.
Missouri Cooperative Extension
For Missouri-specific cultivar recommendations, planting calendars, and pest pressure for loblolly pine, the canonical source is MU Extension. Their fact sheets carry the local trial data we can't generalize across 50 states.
Is Loblolly Pine native to Missouri?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Loblolly Pine as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in Missouri, but it does not say whether those Missouri plants are native or introduced. Your state's native plant society or Cooperative Extension can tell you whether it is part of the local flora.
State records: USDA PLANTS Database state-distribution data (presence, not state-level nativity), accessed 2026-10-19.
Common Questions About Growing Loblolly Pine in Missouri
When can I plant Loblolly Pine in Missouri?
Missouri's last spring hard freeze (28°F) clears between Mar 27 and Apr 2, and the first fall hard freeze lands between Oct 31 and Nov 7 (NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). No sourced winter-hardiness floor is on record for Loblolly Pine, so this page does not state whether it overwinters in Missouri and publishes no fall establishment date for it — check its hardiness range against your own zone before treating it as a permanent planting.
What hardiness zone is Loblolly Pine grown in across Missouri?
Missouri spans USDA hardiness zones 5b-8a (USDA ARS PHZM 2023). Loblolly Pine carries a range of zones 6-9, so the overlap zones are where outdoor growing is most reliable.
How many frost-free days does a typical Missouri site have?
A typical Missouri site sees ~219 frost-free days per year (derived from NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, 1991-2020). Loblolly Pine needs 300+ 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 Crawford, the freeze-free season runs shorter than the state average, so verify your own county's window.
Is Loblolly Pine native to Missouri?
The USDA PLANTS Database (accessed 2026-10-19) lists Loblolly Pine as native to the Lower 48 and records it growing in Missouri, but it does not say whether those Missouri plants are native or introduced. Your state's native plant society or Cooperative Extension can tell you whether it is part of the local flora.
How should I amend the soil for Loblolly Pine in Missouri?
Loblolly Pine prefers pH 4-6.5 and poorly (saturated >50% of year), well (dry spells) drainage (USDA NRCS PLANTS Database; FAO ECOCROP). That sits in the common-ground band across Missouri soils — a 30-minute soil test from a local Extension lab confirms it for your specific site.
Will Loblolly Pine actually grow on my specific land in Missouri?
State-level zone + climate data is a sketch. A Growable Ground parcel report scores loblolly pine against your address's mapped soil pH, drainage, sun, and frost-date data drawn from USDA SSURGO, NOAA, and PRISM — not state averages.
Check your specific parcel in Missouri
State-level data is a sketch. Your Growable Ground report scores loblolly pine against your land's mapped soil, modelled sun, drainage, and frost data — not zone averages.
Three things about your lot that Missouri loblolly pine averages can't show:
We read public map data around Missouri — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
25+ data sources read at your address, not the Missouri loblolly pine average
Explore More
Growing guides for loblolly pine
Explore Missouri county by county
Missouri carries 115 counties with their own USDA zone — a sample of the growing pages for loblolly pine there:
Where else loblolly pine grows
Loblolly Pine's zone band crosses state lines — these are the states closest to Missouri in winter climate where it also has a page, plus the far ends of its range. Each one re-answers the question with that state's own record.
More to grow in Missouri
Missouri has a growing page for 890 plants — a rotating sample of the rest of the shelf.
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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