Snow Queen Pothos

Pothos are climbing houseplants that look lovely in hanging baskets and pots, both indoors and outdoors. They are low-maintenance and are available in a variety of hues, sizes, and forms. One magnificent variety of pothos called the snow queen pothos boasts leaves that are heavily variegated between white and green. The snow queen pothos, which is sometimes mistaken for the marble queen pothos, can be identified by the fact that it has a lot more variegation and is quite pale in color.

If you want to learn more about this beautifully variegated pothos variety, keep on reading! We’ll break down some key facts about the snow queen cultivar as well as how to care for it.

What are Snow Queen Pothos?

The snow queen pothos is classified as Epipremnum aureum ‘Snow Queen’ and is a member of the plant family Araceae. This variety of the pothos species is a climbing vine that can reach up to 10 feet when grown indoors, making it a smaller variety among pothos’ longer and hardier varieties. This cultivar is well-known for its delicate and intricate variegation that takes up most of the plant’s foliage. Typically, pothos variegated varieties have some variegation but mostly green leaves. The snow queen, on the other hand, gets its name from its almost all-white leaf variegation. Some snow queens can boast pale green or light yellow variegation, but most will be white or cream in hue.

How to Care for Snow Queen Pothos

It’s easy to keep the snow queen pothos as an indoor plant. The golden pothos and marble queen pothos require slightly different maintenance than other species of pothos. While it has the potential to bloom, it seldom ever does so as a houseplant.

The top half of the soil should be dry before watering this pothos since it likes to dry out a little between irrigations. When the plant’s leaves appear soft and droopy, it’s likely time to water it. The snow queen is highly drought resistant, like other pothos plants, so don’t worry if you fail to water it on schedule. Throughout the winter, when the plant is semi-dormant and not growing, lengthen your watering routine.

The snow queen pothos likes warm, muggy weather. This plant is best kept indoors, where its preferred temperatures are between 85 and 65 degrees F. It is also not frost-hardy and can only be cultivated outdoors all year long in USDA hardiness zones 10 to 11. Average indoor humidity levels are also sufficient, while more humidity will make it thrive. Your plant likely prefers additional humidity if you see the edges of the leaves beginning to go crispy. A nearby humidifier or relocating it to a room with higher humidity levels such as a bathroom, kitchen, or laundry area should stop additional harm. Aim for 50% to 75% for your pothos plant’s humidity level.

While many pothos plants thrive in low light, this extremely variegated species needs a lot of strong, indirect light to maintain its vibrant leaves. The white variegation will start to deteriorate and turn back to green if there is not enough light. Avoid direct sunlight on your snow queen pothos since it will scorch the delicate foliage.

This plant needs soil that is both wet and quick to drain. It is important to use an airy, well-draining potting mix for this variety because regular indoor potting soil readily compacts and over time can choke the roots of the plant. A suitable blend could include one part tree bark mix, one part perlite or pumice, and one part indoor potting soil. Throughout the spring and summer, use a balanced liquid fertilizer once a month. While the plant is dormant in the fall and winter, stop feeding it fertilizer, as doing so can cause health problems.

How to Propagate and Multiply Snow Queen Pothos

The snow queen pothos is easy to grow, much like the majority of pothos varieties. In just a few weeks, stem cuttings can be rooted in water and planted back in the ground. To multiply a snow queen pothos, you just need to take a few key steps.

To start, take off a stem cutting using a pair of sanitized and clean scissors. Make sure the cutting has three to four nodes at the very least. The little lumps along the stem known as nodes are where leaves and aerial roots develop. The bottom one or two nodes of the stem should be free of any leaves. At the top of the cutting, there should be at least one leaf still present.

Make sure the leaves are above the water when you submerge the cutting’s bottom. Put the cutting in a spot that gets plenty of direct light. From there, change the water every week with clean, filtered water. Little roots should start to emerge from the submerged nodes along the stem after two to three weeks.

The cutting can be transferred from water to soil as soon as the roots are at least one or two inches long. Fill a small container with potting soil that drains nicely. Put the cutting in the soil and give it plenty of water, letting the extra run off and drain from the container. Bring the cutting back to a location with bright and indirect light. For the first one to two weeks, keep the soil uniformly moist to let the new roots become used to the environment. Thereafter, start watering your plants regularly again. It’s really quite simple! The key is to not expose the cuttings to direct, harsh light, as the snow queen’s telltale variegation will disappear.

How to Repot Snow Queen Pothos

If your snow queen pothos has outgrown its original container, it will need to be replanted. This plant tolerates being slightly rootbound and is fairly resilient against problems associated with being rootbound. However, you shouldn’t keep your snow queen in a tiny pot forever. 

Planting your snow queen pothos in a new, larger pot will only be necessary once every two to three years, depending on its growth pace and the growing environment. The new pot should only be one size larger than the old one; for instance, if the pothos is now housed in a six-inch pot, the new pot should be an eight-inch pot. Overwatering problems can arise if you immediately move your plant into a larger pot before it is ready. Repotting should be postponed until the plant is actively developing, which will allow it to more readily recover from any inadvertent injury to the roots or leaves in the spring or early summer. We don’t recommend repotting pothos plants in fall or winter.

Pests and Illnesses to Watch Out For

Mealybugs, scale, green aphids, and mites are just a few of the typical houseplant pests that are more likely to harm your snow queen pothos. Regularly inspect your plant for insect indications to prevent infestations from occurring. If you do find bugs on your snow queen pothos, be sure to separate it from your other houseplants as soon as possible to stop the infestation from spreading to your other plants. If snow queen pothos is left in overwatered circumstances for too long, it might develop root rot, which can also attract pests and mold.

Snow queen pothos plants require little care and rarely cause issues. Nonetheless, it can display a few small issues if sunlight or moisture levels are wrong.

To start, your snow queen might start to boast yellow leaves. There are several reasons why your plant’s leaves could appear yellow. Older leaves will often turn yellow and fall off as they go through their natural life cycle. A significant proportion of newly fallen leaves turning yellow, though, could indicate something different. Yellow leaves of a snow queen pothos can be caused by underwatering, a lack of light, or root rot. The easiest technique to identify what could be producing the yellow leaves on your plant is to assess its overall living circumstances.

Typically, leaves that get brown and crispy indicate that your pothos needs more moisture. This can occur as a result of underwatering or as a result of the air around the plant being too dry. Humidity is very important for tropical plants. Browning of the leaves cannot be reversed, however, altering the moisture your plant receives can stop any further harm. You can tell a plant is underwatered if you see leaves curling inward as well. A vigorous watering should cause it to regain its vigor.

One major issue that snow queen owners can experience is loss of variegation. Lack of light is typically the cause of variegation loss. To keep up the health of your plant’s beautiful white variegation, make sure it receives several hours of bright, indirect light each day.

How Fast Do Snow Queen Pothos Grow?

Snow queen pothos are considered slow growers when compared to other pothos varieties. Cultivars like the marble queen pothos grow much faster than the snow queen. That being said, pothos plants are considered fast growers when compared to other plants, so expect your snow queen pothos to reach full maturity in just a couple of years.

Are Snow Queen Pothos Rare?

Snow queen pothos plants are considered somewhat rare. At the very least, they are rarer than golden pothos, neon pothos, marble queen pothos, etc. You may not be able to find this plant at your local nursery, but you can certainly find it online.

Is It Safe to Prune My Snow Queen Pothos?

Although it is not necessary to prune this plant to improve its health, doing so is an option that can help you manage the mature plant’s growth and overall shape. Also, as mentioned earlier, you can use stem cuttings for propagation to expand your present plant or grow new ones. 

When the plant is actively developing, in the spring or early summer, pruning can be performed. When the plant is dormant in the fall or winter, avoid trimming, as this can cause more harm than good. Employ pruning scissors that are well-kept, sanitized, and sharp. The closest nodes to the cut will produce new growth, so keep this in mind when you choose where to trim your snow queen pothos.

A standout among variegated pothos cultivars, the snow queen is an excellent selection for homes with plenty of sunlight available to keep up its intricate variegation. What’s not to love about the stunning snow queen pothos?

Up Next:

• Hanging Pothos: How To Display This Unkillable Houseplant
• Propagating Pothos in Water: A Step-By-Step Guide
• 8 Variegated Pothos: Types, Care, And More

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/Nanniie_iiuu