Looking for new types of pothos to add to your houseplant collection? Smart move. Pothos, or Epipremnum aureum, for our Latin speaking friends, look great and are easy to keep, even for the beginnerest of beginners.
To have a thriving indoor plant collection, you needn’t even bother with other, more temperamental kinds of houseplants, really. Your entire houseplant strategy could be to just keep mixing up your pothos game and filling your home with new pothos varieties. And if you did so, you’d end up with a wide variety of gorgeous plants that would be not only lovely, but practically unkillable.
Two of the most beautiful varieties of pothos plants (in our opinion) are Snow Queen and Marble Queen, which are not the same, although many people mistake the two. This post will introduce you to these two beauties by showing you the differences between Snow Queen vs Marble Queen.
What’s the Difference Between Marble Queen and Snow Queen Pothos?
The big difference is variegation. Marble Queen leaves are a mix of warm, creamy white markings against a vibrant green backdrop.
Snow Queen leaves have larger white patches in brighter, cooler shades of white. Often, Snow Queen pothos leaves appear almost entirely white. The green on the leaves tends to be paler, as well. Snow Queen’s leaves are also slightly sharper at the tip than Marble Queen’s.
There are some pics below, if you want to see.
There are a few more differences between the two in terms of pothos plant care, too, and these differences might help you decide which one you want (if you can only have one) and how to care for it.
We’ll walk you through the differences in terms of where to find them, how to grow and take care of them and how to propagate them to make even more plants for your home. Then we’ll finish with a little FAQ about Snow Queen pothos and answer some common questions about this gorgeous specimen.
Where to Buy Snow Queen Pothos and Marble Queen Pothos
When you’re shopping for these plants, you’ll have an easier time finding Marble Queen. Marble Queen is a super common pothos, and just about any nursery or garden center will carry it.
Finding a Snow Queen pothos for sale might require a bit more legwork. Not that these are rare plants by any stretch, but Marble Queen tends to be more of a go-to for people. If you can’t find a Snow Queen pothos at your local nursery, check online or at specialty plant stores.
How to Care for Snow Queen Pothos and Marble Queen Pothos
Snow Queen pothos care differs from Marble Queen Pothos care in a few key ways. The first is light. While both plants share basic pothos light needs (i.e. avoid harsh direct sun), Snow Queen needs more bright indirect light to keep up its variegation and strong white coloring. If the light is too low, the plant’s leaves will appear dull.
Marble Queen also prefers bright indirect light, but will need less of it to keep its variegation looking sharp.
The two plants have slightly different watering, needs, as well. Marble Queen is a stronger, faster grower than Snow Queen and therefore has a higher water intake. If you keep both plants in your home, you’ll notice that Marble Queen starts to look underwatered sooner.
Signs of an underwatered pothos include droopy leaves and crumbly soil, followed by browning leaves. The droopy leaves are a dead giveaway (and one of the reasons the plant is such a favorite with beginners), but an even better test is to press your finger an inch or two into the soil. If the soil feels dry an inch or so down, it’s time to water.
For both plants, checking the soil is essential in order to avoid overwatering—pothos in general hate soggy roots. It’s even more important not to overwater Snow Queen pothos, though, because overwatering can lead to fungal disease and Snow Queen is more susceptible to fungus.
Because of that extra susceptibility, Snow Queen also needs more air circulation to prevent fungal diseases than Marble Queen does. This isn’t a plant you can crowd on a shelf with others. It requires its own space.
The two plants differ only slightly in their soil needs. The best soil for pothos of any variety is something rich, light and well-draining. You can make your own pothos soil mix by adding 1/3 part perlite or coco coir and 1/3 part compost or orchid bark to 1/3 part indoor potting soil.
The difference is that Marble Queen grows larger and faster, so you’ll use more soil and larger pots with that variety than with Snow Queen (more on that below).
How to Propagate Pothos Snow Queen and Pothos Marble Queen
It’s easy to learn how to propagate pothos. Take a 4-inch cutting from a healthy-looking stem, using sharp scissors or clippers to avoid crushing the stem.
One trick to figuring out where to cut pothos to propagate it is to count 3-4 leaves down from the tip of the stem and cut there. The cutting should have 3 or 4 nodes on it (nodes are the small bumps located just below the leaves). New roots will grow from these nodes, and 3 or 4 will give the plant adequate new roots to thrive.
Remove the leaves at the bottom of the cutting, i.e. those closer to the end you’ve just cut. Leave the top 2 leaves intact. Then propagate pothos in water by placing the cutting in a glass of clean water, keeping the leaves well above the water line.
Put the glass in bright direct light. When the roots are an inch long, which will take about a month, the cutting is ready for a pot of its own.
How to Grow Snow Queen Pothos and Marble Queen Pothos
Growing any pothos starts with the same process. When your cutting is ready to plant, choose a small 4-6-inch pot and fill with a well-draining mixture like the one suggested above (1/3 potting soil, 1/3 perlite or coir and 1/3 compost or bark).
Here again, there’s a slight difference between the two varieties. Snow Queen pothos can grow to about 10 feet, but it reaches that size slowly, so you can get away with a smaller plant pot to start. Pothos don’t mind being a little root bound, either, so don’t worry about cramping them.
Marble Queen can also reach 10 feet long and 3 feet wide, but it grows faster. So while a good general rule is to use a pot a few inches larger than the root ball of the pothos, you can plant Marble Queen in a slightly larger pot to start.
Once the pothos is planted, put it in a spot that gets bright indirect light but not direct sunlight. Keep the soil continually moist for the first two weeks. Then follow the above directions on how to take care of Snow Queen pothos and Marble Queen pothos.
You’ll know when to repot pothos plants when the roots start coming through the drainage holes or if issues with soil compaction and drainage arise.
Marble Queen vs Snow Queen Pothos
If you’re ever in the position where you have to choose between them, keep the following differences in mind. Snow Queen is flashier, slower-growing and needs more light and air circulation. Marble Queen grows more quickly, needs less light and has more balanced green-white coloring.
Otherwise, both are generous plants that forgive mistakes and aren’t ever likely to be a problem, even for a newbie plant owner. Both a win, in our books.
FAQs
Why is My Snow Queen Pothos Turning Brown?
There are a number of reasons. It might need water. It could be getting too much fertilizer or be burnt from too much direct sunlight. It might be overwatered and suffering from root rot or fungal issues. You’ll need to run some diagnostics to figure out the likeliest culprit.
Why Is My Snow Queen Pothos Turning Yellow?
As with most plants, yellow leaves are a sign of both underwatering and overwatering. Check the soil. If it’s moist, let it dry out before you water again. If the soil is crumbly and dry, water it.
How Do I Know When to Water Snow Queen Pothos?
Your best bet is to check the soil. Test it every 7-10 days by sticking a finger 1-2 inches down into the pot. If the soil feels dry, the plant needs watering.
How to Keep Snow Queen Pothos White?
Keep the plant in bright, indirect light for at least 4 hours a day. If it fades, move to a brighter location.
How to Look After Snow Queen Pothos?
Snow Queen pothos care is basic. Place the plant in a well-ventilated area where it can get lots of bright, indirect light and air circulation. Keep the soil moist, watering every 7-10 days, or whenever the top 1-2 inches of the soil are dry.
Images: Depositphotos
