Marble Queen Pothos Care Made Easy [Complete Guide + FAQ]

“The Pothos variety known as Marble Queen lives up to its name with its graceful watercolor-like leaves and luxurious, dense appearance.”

This climbing vine attaches itself to trees and branches in the wild and can grow with similar determination indoors given the right care.

How do you care for a Marble Queen Pothos? Marble Queen Pothos require tropical conditions akin to their native South Pacific rain forest habitat to flourish. This entails at least 4 hours of bright, filtered sunlight; temperatures of 65-85°F; moderate humidity; and a damp soil medium rich in nutrients.

Due to its trailing habit, you can display your Marble Queen up on high or else train it to climb as it does naturally.

However you choose to grow this decorative beauty, we’ve outlined the essential care tips for successful growth, plus info on its foliage pattern, FAQs, and more.

Care Instructions for Marble Queen Pothos

The Marble Queen Pothos (Epipremnum aureum ‘Marble Queen’) is a trailing vine with delicate color variation in its large, heart-shaped leaves of speckled green and creamy-white.

It’s also known as money plant and devil’s ivy since it’s hard to kill and can even remain green in the dark.

This fast-growing plant can grow up to 18 inches per month in ideal conditions and reach about 5 feet on average.

How big do Marble Queen Pothos get? It’s not unheard of for Marble Queens to reach 20-30 feet long without regular pruning!

Potting Guide for Marble Queen Pothos

If you want your Marble Queen Pothos to spill over its container, waterfall-style, opt for a 10-inch deep stand-alone pot (for shelves) or a similar-sized plastic container with an attached drainage tray to prevent hanging basket leaks.

As for climbing Marble Queens, plant collector and co-owner of the Jungle Collective Linda Vydra recommends staking a supportive “coconut coir-wrapped totem pole” in your traditional pot. “

“When moistened, the coir fibers provide a fibrous, humid surface that encourages aerial root growth and support, unlike dry, penetrable wooden stakes.”

I recommend this pack on Amazon as the stakes can be fitted together to “grow” with your plant.

Where potting soil is concerned, use a well-draining medium rich in nutrients.

Equal parts potting soil, peat moss, and perlite (granular rock) combine enough organic material to retain moisture while keeping the soil airy to prevent root rot.

Lighting Requirements

Place this plant in 4-6 hours of bright, indirect light. Within a few feet of a west or east-facing window will be ideal as too much direct sunlight will damage the variegated leaf pattern.

Temperature and Humidity Range

Marble Queens will flourish in temperatures between 65-85°F (18-29°C) and do best in humidity levels in the 40-60% range

It may be wise to invest in a humidifier (this one is perfect for plants) if you suspect your household levels are low.

Watering & Fertilization

Once weekly watering in spring-summer and less often during winter is best.

Allow the top 2 inches of soil to dry out a little in between waterings so the soil remains damp, not soggy, as overwatering this plant can cause fungal issues.

Should I Mist Marble Queen Pothos?

Mist the leaves if you notice the leaf tips turning brown as this indicates low humidity. Hydrate the foliage with a fine mist once weekly throughout fall and winter when the air will be drier.

As for safely fertilizing your Marble Queen, houseplant pro Rajitha Vipparthi at Plantophiles recommends organic feed every other month during spring-fall, such as:

“worm compost or liquid seaweed solution to encourage bushier growth and build resistance to disease and pest stress.”

How To Prune a Marble Queen Pothos

Prune back dead, damaged, excessively brown, or yellowing leaves throughout the year using sharp, sterilized pruning shears.

Trim stems just above a leaf node where new, healthier growth will appear. Prune leggy, overgrown stems in the spring to promote bushier growth.

When To Repot Marble Queen Pothos

Depending on the size and age of your Marble Queen plant, you may need to repot annually or once every 2-3 years. You’ll know it’s time if you start to see the roots poking through the drainage holes.

Always repot during spring while growth is lively and the plant is better able to recover from stress.

Plant your Marble Queen in fresh soil into a pot or hanging basket 1-2 sizes larger than the previous container.

Marble Queen Pothos Propagation

You can propagate your Marble Queen Pothos (create offspring plants) by taking healthy stem cuttings from the parent plant and rooting them either in soil or water:

Water Propagation

Step 1: Take a 5-6 inch stem cutting below a leaf node (ensuring there are 2-3 leaves on the stem) and dip the cutting ends in rooting hormone to stimulate growth.

Step 2: Place the stem cutting in a small jar of room-temperature water (changing the water weekly to prevent algae build-up). Roots should develop after 1-2 weeks.

Step 3: Cuttings will be ready to plant in a small pot of soil mix once the roots measure 1 inch.

Soil Propagation

Step 1: Take 3-5 stem cuttings (measuring 5-6 inches and containing at least 4 leaf nodes). Cut close to the soil to increase the chances of reliable rooting.

Step 2: Pinch any leaves off the lower part of each stem cutting leaving only the terminal (top) leaves. Prepare a small pot of ideal soil mix.

Step 3: Make a hole in the soil with a pencil and – gathering all stem cuttings together in one bunch – plant them in the soil, ensuring one node is below the soil line.

Step 4: Keep the pot in indirect light and water weekly. The cuttings should establish roots in 4 weeks – perky terminal leaves are a good indication of healthy root growth.

Marble Queen Pothos Variegation

The white, cream, and light green marbling effect on the leaves of a Marble Queen Pothos is known as variegation, and this stunning effect can alter depending on its growing conditions.

What Causes Variegation in Pothos?

The leaf variegation is due to a genetic mutation in the plant’s cells when two Pothos varieties have been crossbred, causing a lack of green pigment (chlorophyll) to be produced.

How To Keep Marble Queen Pothos Variegated

You must keep your plant in consistently bright. filtered sunlight to maintain its variegated pattern.

Marble Queens will tolerate low light, but they’ll soon compensate by reverting to green to make more chlorophyll.

In poor light levels, this plant will appear to stretch and have longer sections of stem between the leaves, so move your plant to a brighter area to prevent variegation loss and legginess.

How To Get More Variegation in Marble Queen Pothos

While you can’t encourage more variegation in your established Marble Queen plant other than by maintaining ideal light, you can propagate a more heavily variegated plant by taking cuttings containing leaves with only the most pronounced variegation.

Will Marble Queen Variegation Come Back?

While you can prevent variegation loss by improving the light conditions, it is not possible to recover the variegated pattern once the entire plant has reverted to green.

As with all variegated plants, the Marble Queen Pothos has adapted to take the protective measure of reverting to its more successful, healthy state when grown in poor light.

Marble Queen vs. Snow Queen Pothos

Whereas the Marble Queen Pothos displays about 50% green-and-white variegation, the Snow Queen Pothos cultivar displays over 80% white coloring in its foliage.

This significant reduction in chlorophyll means Snow Queens are slower growers and will require brighter sunlight from a south-facing window.

How Long Do Marble Queen Pothos Live?

Marble Queen Pothos plants can live up to 10 years when grown in appropriately bright light and soil that is kept evenly damp but drains quickly to avoid fungal infections such as root rot.

Can Marble Queen Pothos Live in Water?

Marble Queen Pothos can live in water, but you should not expect fast or bushy growth.

Plants grown in this way – the hydroponic method – must be fed monthly on mineral nutrients (liquid fertilizer) dissolved in water to thrive.

Opt for colored instead of clear containers to block out light and prevent algae growth, and add a drop of hydrogen peroxide to sidestep fungal infections and oxygenate the water.

Why Is My Marble Queen Pothos Not Growing?

Growth can become stunted in your Marble Queen Pothos due to over-fertilizing, pest infestations, and low light.

A buildup of fertilizer salts in the soil can impact root health and impede water drainage, while overly high humidity can attract sap-sucking bugs, redirecting nutrients.

How Do You Revive Marble Queen Pothos?

To revive foliage vigor and maintain variegation, ensure it is getting enough bright, filtered light. If the leaves have developed brown tips, increase your watering frequency.

For yellowing leaves, this indicates root rot has set in, so apply organic fungicide to the roots before repotting your Marble Queen in fresh, sterile potting mix.

Final Thoughts

In summary, the gorgeous Marble Queen Pothos is far from a challenging houseplant but will benefit from a little effort to encourage fast growth and retain variegation.

Whether grown in a hanging basket or trained to climb with a support pole, make this plant happy with generous amounts of filtered sunlight, consistent light watering, and well-draining soil.