Beautiful Marble Queen Pothos Care Things You NEED to Know

Pothos, a beloved indoor plant, thrives in low-light conditions and prefers dry roots. Its variety, the marble queen, is variegated, hence requiring a bit more light.

Compared to plants with plain green leaves, variegated plants have less chlorophyll, meaning they need more light to produce the same amount of glucose via photosynthesis. Still, the plant’s natural affinity for low light persists, and the Marble Queen should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

General Care Guide for Pothos Plants

Success in growing any plant indoors largely depends on our ability to replicate its natural habitat. I stress the plant’s lineage and origin for this reason. If we know where it came from and its natural habitat environment, we can more easily create a space that will allow our plant to feel at home.

The Marble Queen (pothos Epipremnum) originates from humid tropical forests, where they grow terrestrial or epiphytes under a canopy of plants.

Below is a list of essential elements to ensure your tropical plants avoid getting yellow leaves, root rot, or brown leaves. These considerations apply to all pothos varieties and any indoor plant.

Soil characteristics – water management, aeration, consistency, constitution, pH, and nutritional content.

These essential elements vary according to plant species and their evolutionary adaptation to the specific conditions of their natural habitat.

While we can acclimatize plants through hardening off, we cannot change their natural requirements.

So let’s see what the Marble Queen Pothos needs to thrive.

Below is a table summarizing the basic needs of your marble Queen Pothos.

Soil:	Compost, coconut coir, pumice, and expanded shale. See details below.
Watering:	If in doubt, don’t water. Overwatering will take the joy out of your Marble Queen Pothos
Light:	Initial cultivation was under 50% shade cloth – 2.8 to 3.25 Ft.c (30 to 35 LUX)
Temperature:	Night: 54 to 68⁰ F (12 to 20⁰ C) Day: 68 to 95⁰ F (20 to 35⁰ C)
Humidity:	Humidity boosts aerial root growth – generally above 60%
Propagation:	Propagation by stem cuttings at temperatures above 74⁰ F (23⁰ C)
Pruning:	Prune from the top down and remove dead or discolored leaves regularly. The plant will survive aggressive pruning.
Fertilizer:	Use organic, slow-release fertilizers in early spring.
Repotting:	When the roots start emerging from the drainage holes.
Growth and Size:	Rapid growth – can grow up to 40 feet. Grows at a rate of about a foot a year.
Pests:	The most common insect pests infesting pothos in homes are mealybugs and scales. Occasionally spider mites.
Toxicity:	It contains calcium oxalate crystals – which will cause swelling and vomiting in pets and children.

Pothos Marble Queen Care Specifics

The Marble Queen Pothos is native to the Mo’orea island in French Polynesia. Because of its profusion, it has naturalized in tropical conditions worldwide and become one of the most well-liked houseplants in temperate countries.

Originally called Scindapsus aureus, the patents for its three hybrid children still show their parent by that name.

Over the years, several other names have also been used, including Epipremnum pinnatum, Rahphidophora aurea, R. pinnata, and finally, Epipremnum aureum ‘Marble Queen’, commonly referred to as Golden Pothos. Talk about an identity crisis!!

I agree with Shakespeare; a rose by any name would smell sweet.

These plants are an excellent way to give your home some personality, even with limited interior design experience.

There are countless ways to display them: trail them from a high shelf, let the greenery wrap around a beam or banister, let it climb a moss pole, let it hang from a basket supported by macramé, or even pin it, so it spreads out and climbs a wall.

The Epipremnum aureum Marble Queen has four hybrid children:

1. The Green Genie
2. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum ‘Njoy’)
3. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum Pearls and Jade®)
4. UFM10 (US PP20930 P2 (2010-04-13)

Marble Queen Pothos Care – Water Needs

If you water marble queen pothos, remember, less is more. Marble queen pothos grows best in soil that is allowed to dry occasionally.

Ensure you have well-draining soil; only add water when the top is dry.

The general rule is to only water when necessary. To determine when to water, one may utilize the following techniques:

When watering is necessary, water deeply. Apply water until the bottom of the pot is completely submerged.

This removes accumulated salt and ensures that most of the roots in the bottom two-thirds of the pot get enough water. Empty the tray, and don’t let the pot sit in the accumulated water.

Marble Queen Pothos Care – Light

While it’s true that most aroids need plenty of dappled light, especially to maintain variegation, this is not true for the marble queen pothos plants. It’s not true for the Epipremnum genus in general.

Pothos plants are classified as low-light plants, loosely described as a light level hardly bright enough to read a book.

Like most low-light plants, the marble queen pothos is grown for its exquisite foliage, not flowers.

Foot-candle

A foot-candle is a unit of brightness or light intensity, and it is described as the amount of light that a surface of one square foot that is a foot from a light source received from a single candle.

Low-light plants – Marble Queen Pothos Care

Low light-intensity plants, like your marble queen pothos, typically need between 50 and 250-foot candles per square foot.

A handful of the plants in this group can be kept alive with as little as 10-foot candles of artificial light.

Ten to fifteen watts of fluorescent light per square foot of growing space should be provided for low-light plants.

Your Marble Queen Pothos plant needs nothing more than a single fluorescent tube, for instance, a 2-foot 20-watt tube or a 4-foot 40-watt tube (depending on how far it is from the plant)

Bright Indirect Light

A light that is bright enough to read a novel is deemed low light. Most low-light plants seldom flower, and it is unlikely that your marble queen pothos will ever flower indoors, no matter what.

A north window or a rather dark corner would be ideal locations for a low-light plant. These plants are “understory plants” in their natural habitats, which means they develop beneath the branches of bigger plants.

While your marble queen is still tiny, occasionally move it to get some bright indirect light. Once it’s grown and climbing, it’s unlikely you will be able to budge on your magnificent tropical plant.

Marble Queen Pothos Care – Soil

Essentially what you’re looking for in a healthy soil mix is a balance between retaining water while ensuring good drainage, providing adequate aeration (avoiding anaerobic conditions), maintaining the proper pH, and ensuring the soil has sufficient cation exchange capacity (CEC).

If you’ve had the opportunity to read my Composting Masterclass book, you’d understand why I’m so passionate about using compost, even in potting soil.

A good potting mix for your Marble Queen Pothos should include the following ingredients in the given proportions:

• Arcillite (what NASA uses).

Each of the above serves a specific purpose in emulating the Epipremnum aureum’s natural habitat, ensuring your marble queen pothos have good drainage, moisture, and air.

Remember, your queen pothos (Epipremnum aureum) prefers dry soil.

Fertilizing Marble Queen Pothos

Your marble queen pothos is a low-maintenance plant and needs fertilizing every other month, except during the winter when the marble queen plant is not actively growing and needs to hibernate.

Good marble queen pothos care includes reducing watering in winter and cutting fertilizer. 

Using Epsom Salts and Your Marble Queen Pothos

Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) lowers the pH and provides magnesium and sulfur, two nutrients often deficient in alkaline soils.

Benefits of magnesium for your Marble Queen Pothos include:

Magnesium has a poor cation exchange capacity (CEC), i.e., it binds poorly to soil particles. The only way your plant can access it is if it remains in situ near the roots.

Repotting Your Marble Queen Pothos

Only repot your marble queen pothos if you notice roots emerging from the pot’s drainage holes. Once this happens, drainage is compromised.

You can turn the plant on its side and partially remove it from the pot to inspect the roots to determine if it is rootbound.

It is time to repot your marble queen pothos if their roots are all coiled up tightly around the pot’s circumference. This applies to all pothos plants.

How to Grow Marble Queen Pothos 

Once your marble queen pothos is established, some maintenance is needed.

Older devil’s ivy leaves will turn yellow and drop off naturally, leaving most leaves at the vine’s end.

Selective pruning is advised to maintain vines at a manageable length and encourage new growth.

Marble queen plants can be pruned up to 2 inches (5cm)  from the soil line for a new start.

Always leave a node near the cut for future growth, and you can use the pruned parts as cuttings for further propagation.

How to Propagate Marble Queen Pothos

Cuttings or air-layering are both simple methods for growing the Marble Queen Pothos. In 3–4 weeks, cuttings take root in water or vermiculite; in 1-2 weeks, buds will begin to grow under warm conditions.

The best practice is to group many rooted cuttings into a single container.

Propagate Marble Queen Pothos Plants in Water

• Cut a 45-degree angled stem cutting from your marble queen, about a quarter-inch below the node, with a clean set of shears.

• If you cut below a node, the node will be part of the cutting. Because that is where new roots will grow, adding is crucial.

• Place the cuttings in a jar with room-temperature water, ensuring that at least one node—preferably more—is submerged. If there are any leaves below the surface, remove them gently because they have a propensity to decay.

• Within the first week or two, you should notice little roots forming, but it will be at least a few weeks before the roots are sufficiently long to allow you to pot the cutting. Give the roots room to grow to a few inches.

• You can treat your cutting like an average marble queen plant after you’ve placed it in potting soil and given it a good watering!

Propagate Marble Queen Pothos in Vermiculite

• To propagate your Marble Queen in vermiculite (or perlite, or pumice), start with the same first step to take a cutting.

• Place the base of your cutting into a small container with moistened vermiculite. Make sure at least one node, or more, if possible, is buried. Don’t bury any of the leaves – instead, remove them.

• Keep the vermiculite moist (but not wet), allowing the roots to develop. Regularly misting the vermiculite keeps it sufficiently moist for root growth.

• At least a few weeks will pass before a new root system forms. You may check this by giving the cutting a very light tug after about a month. If there is resistance, a root system has developed, and you can plant it (them) in a potting mix (see above)

Cuttings or air-layering are both simple methods for growing the Marble Queen Pothos. In 3–4 weeks, cuttings take root in water or vermiculite; in 1-2 weeks, buds will begin to grow under warm conditions.

The best practice is to group many rooted cuttings into a single container.

Potential Challenges for Pothos Plants

Pothos generally have few pest problems but are occasionally affected by some insects or diseases. With brown or nonexistent root systems, root rot is commonly promoted by overwatering. 

Check your pothos plant’s light levels if you notice brown leaf tips. Direct sunlight or even bright indirect sunlight can cause these symptoms. Move your marble queen away from direct sunlight.

Brown leaf tips can be caused by excess water, inadequate watering, or fertilizer. The discoloration of the soil is often accompanied by droopy leaves becoming yellow.

The most common insect pests infesting pothos in homes are mealybugs and scales. Infested plants become stunted, and with severe infestations, plant parts begin to die.

Pesticides may be used to control these insects, but often it is better to discard the plant and start over with clean plants or cuttings.

Spider mites occasionally infest pothos and can easily be controlled with a thorough cleaning and frequent applications of insecticidal soap.

Low light can result in loss of variegation.

Low temperatures or abrupt changes from very high to moderate temperatures can cause scattered brown patches, usually located in the center of the leaf, especially if plants are succulent and growing vigorously.

Is Marble Queen Pothos Toxic to Cats and Dogs?

All aroids contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals and are toxic to people and pets. These toxins can cause swelling, inflammation, and pain in contact with the skin or oral cavities.

Keep your Philodendron away from cats, dogs, and small children who may accidentally ingest it.

In Closing

The Marble Queen Pothos is a treasure for a houseplant collection, with its beautiful variegation making it stand out. The long vines should be encouraged to climb a moss pole; it will boost the variegation.

Essential is quick-draining potting soil – the recipe above will help.