Plant description
Fans of variegations will swoon over the Marble Queen Pothos, a popular variegated Pothos variety with elegant, marbled foliage. The self-clinging vining plant produces dark green heart-shaped leaves, variegated with speckles of cream and light green that resemble paint splatter. If you’re familiar with caring for just about any variety of Pothos, you’ll find the care routine for Marble Queen is almost the same.
Do note that this streaked beauty grows a bit more slowly than other pothos plants due to its variegation, which also means it burns more easily if exposed to full sun.
Marble Queen Pothos plants are generally hardy and commonly found anywhere you can buy plants, which makes them one of the easiest houseplants for beginner plant owners. This variety of pothos is an excellent indoor plant for placing in hanging baskets, on tabletops, or positioned to climb walls or trellises indoors.
Plant facts
| common names | Money Plant (used for a variety of species), Taro Vine, Devil’s Ivy |
| botanical name | Epipremnum aureum ‘Marble Queen’ |
| family | Araceae |
| biological life cycle | Perennial |
| foliage | Vines |
| mature size | Tendrils grow 2-20 feet |
| time to maturity | 3-4 growing seasons |
| origins | French Polynesia in the South Pacific |
| light conditions | bright indirect light |
| soil type | well-draining soil mixtures with vermiculite, peat moss, or perlite |
| water ph | slightly acidic |
| usda zone | 11 |
| toxicity | moderately poisonous to plants and people (keep away) |
Popular Varieties/Related Plants:
- Jade Pothos (Epipremnum aureum ‘Jade’)
- Neon Pothos (Epipremnum aureum ‘Neon’)
- Golden Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
- Snow Queen Pothos (Epipremnum aureum ‘Snow Queen’) – another popular variegated Pothos sometimes sold interchangeably with the Marble Queen Pothos, true Snow Queens have even more white variegation than Marble Queen Pothos, appearing to be white with striations of green with striations of light green instead of the reverse.
How to take care of a marble queen pothos
Once you get used to the specific care needs of variegated houseplants, caring for your Marble Queen Pothos is a cinch. Variegation refers to the mixed coloration in a plant’s foliage. Most commonly, you’ll see variegated varieties of popular houseplants in white, cream and yellow, but variegation can refer to any color.
The important thing to remember about Marble Queen Pothos is that its variegated leaves do not contain chlorophyll, the green pigment that converts energy from the sun into plant food! As a result, this plant grows a bit more slowly and is slightly pickier about its lighting conditions than your standard Pothos.
Light 🔆
Best light: bright indirect light
As with any variegated plant, you should avoid placing the Marble Queen Pothos in full sunlight due to the risk of burning its white leaves, which do not contain chlorophyll. Marble Queen Pothos are happiest with bright, indirect light, though they can tolerate low light conditions as well. If you position your Marble Queen in low light conditions for long enough, however, you may notice the variegation fading as the plant produces more green leaves (containing chlorophyll) to soak up what little light is available.
Water 💧
Water needs: allow top 1-2 inches of soil to dry out between waterings
Yes it’s easy, but figuring out how often to water your Pothos is still an art. The Marble Queen Pothos prefers infrequent watering, around every 7-10 days.
It’s best to check if your plant is ready to be watered by poking a finger into the top 1 to 2 inches of soil. Is it dry? Great, your plant is ready to be watered! If you forget to water for several weeks though, it’s fortunately not too difficult to rescue an underwatered pothos.
If the underlayer of soil is moist, avoid watering your pothos. This can cause root rot, which you may not notice until the leaves of your Marble Queen Pothos begin showing black spots 😬 Empty the drainage tray of standing water if you notice more than ½ cm accumulate between waterings.
You can always use a moisture meter to be sure of the soil moisture levels. This is a pretty good one:
Humidity 🌫️
Similar to its native tropical environment in the French Polynesia, this pothos species prefers a high humidity environment. LIke many Pothos, the Marble Queen can survive in more modest levels of humidity, but there are a few ways to easily raise humidity levels in the environment.
Consider buying a small plant humidifier to place near your Pothos and other moisture-loving jungle plants. Added bonus? In more humid environments, you’ll need to water your Pothos even less!
Temperature 🌡️
Marble Queen Pothos plants prefer warm temperatures, between 65F (18C) and 85F (29C). Keep this lady insulated from cold temperatures and away from drafty windows..
Fertilizer 💩
The Marble Queen Pothos is not a heavy feeder and can be fertilized once a month or every other month with a common balanced fertilizer in the growing season (spring and summer).
Don’t worry about fertilizing your Marble Queen in the winter months – in fact, don’t do it. Fertilizing Pothos during its dormant period can burn tender roots instead of keeping them healthy.
Soil
Soil Type: well-draining soil mixtures with vermiculite, peat moss, or perlite
pH level: slightly acidic (6.1-6.5)
Use a well-draining potting mix for the Marble Queen Pothos amended with vermiculite, peat moss or perlite in the slightly acidic pH range. This royal won’t complain much though! Toss a handful of perlite into whatever soil you have around for a quick soil fix.
Repotting
The Marble Queen Pothos doesn’t grow as quickly as non-variegated Pothos varieties, so you won’t need to repot them quite as often as you would a Golden Pothos. Acclimated to growing on trees with little ground to root into, Marble Queen Pothos actually enjoy being slightly root-bound (like orchids), but if you notice white nubs growing from the drainage holes of your pot – it’s time to repot.
To repot, select a pot about 2” larger in diameter than the existing pot to allow your Marble Queen some room to wiggle without shocking its root system. Trim away any straggly or dry roots and foliage with clean pruning shears, and repot with fresh, well-draining soil.
Pothos plants can be repotted at any time of year, but it’s best to give them a new home during their growing season so your plant can establish itself before dormancy kicks in.
Propagation 🌱
What’s better than one Marble Queen Pothos? Two! Or ten! Or maybe a single super lush and bushy Pothos? Luckily, you can make up your own mind if you have a healthy mother plant to start with! Marble Queen Pothos is easy to propagate with stem cuttings.
To grow your cuttings in water, place a 4-6” stem cutting with 2-5 leaves in clean water until roots have started to sprout. It’s best to switch out the water every few days to prevent bacterial growth and maintain the same water level as the plant will get thirstier with new root growth. Once your stem cutting has sprouted roots of 2-6”, place it into a small pot with fresh soil to continue growing.
Pruning 🌿
If you notice dying or yellowing leaves on your Marble Queen Pothos, pluck or prune it away to keep the rest of the plant healthy. Pruning is recommended to reduce legginess as well – simply cut straggly vines right above a node to encourage new growth, and make sure your plant is getting plenty of indirect light.
Pests and diseases 🐛
Marble Queen Pothos plants are susceptible to common pests such as gnats, spider mites, thrips, mealybug, and scale. If your pothos gets infected with scale or other pests, it’s easy to clear away with insecticidal soap or alcohol-soaked cotton swab. It’s best to take care of any pest problems as soon as you notice them to prevent infestations spreading.
Marble queen pothos care tips
Give your Marble Queen Pothos something to climb. These plants grow aerial roots to absorb moisture and climb. Place a moss pole or trellis close to your plant to guide it to grow vertically upwards. If you prefer to position your Pothos as a hanging plant, give it plenty of space to trail and it will thank you! Increasing moisture content in the air with a humidifier will encourage this plant’s climbing tendencies.
Common Problems / FAQs:
Help! My Pothos has brown / yellow leaves.
Browning leaves could be a sign of a few different issues. Make sure your plant is placed away from drafts in its preferred temperature range, check to see if the humidity in the air is very low, and regulate your watering routine. Yellow leaves can indicate either underwatering or overwatering.
Why is my Marble Queen Pothos producing dark green leaves?
It’s likely the Marble Queen Pothos is not receiving enough light. Although this won’t impact the health of the plant, the variegated leaf pattern is a huge reason for the popularity of this plant variety. Try moving the plant to a place with more bright indirect light.
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Marquis *wants* to know how to keep happy and healthy plants, but had a hard time finding information that wasn't written by just another copywriter. After nearly losing one too many plants, it was time to take matters into her own hands. A team of plant scientists and nursery hands was brought together and The Indoor Nursery was born.
Hey, Marcia! Thanks for reading :) gosh, that's a great idea to double up on your watering globe and spike.…