Scindapsus Pictus Silvery Ann Care - Growing Silvery Ann Pothos

Last Updated on March 19, 2022 by Admin

The Silvery Ann Pothos has many names which can sometimes make it confusing. So, I’ll start out by listing them so you know that when you encounter any of these plant names on labels, they mean the same thing

Silver Pothos ‘Silvery Ann’
Epipremnum pictum Silvery Ann
Satin Pothos
Scindapsus Silvery Ann
Silver vine
Silk pothos
Silver cloud

The thing is, many people often refer to the Silvery Ann Pothos as the Satin Pothos. But that’s not the case. Instead, they are two completely different plants (although very closely related in that they are both Scindapsus pictus hybrids.

In fact, there are 3 plants in question here that are often confused or interchanged with one another for some reason:

Silver Philodendron – this is the Scindapsus pictus ‘Argyraeus’
Satin Pothos – this is the Scindapsus pictus ‘Exotica’
Silvery Ann Pothos – this is the Scindapsus pictus ‘Silver Ann’

As you can see, they are all closely related being a kind of Scindapsus pictus. But they’re all different plants. I’ll differentiate the 3 in detail below.

In any case, the Silvery Ann Pothos is a popular but rare plant. Therefore, you won’t find it in many nurseries or garden centers.

That said, it is not expensive as it usually costs between $20 to $30.

Its claim to fame are its beautiful dark green leaves that have silver spots scattered on the surface. Its edges likewise have a thin silver border.

The plant does develop vining stems which makes popular for hanging baskets. But it would prefer climbing up a support.

Table of Contents

Is the Silvery Ann Pothos a Pothos?

The Silvery Ann Pothos is actually a Scindapsus picus hybrid. So, it is not a pothos. Instead, it belongs to the Scindapsus genus.

Thus, it is still closely related to the Pothos because they are both Aroids (members of the Araceae family). This also makes them related to the Monstera and Philodendron.

More importantly, knowing this allows you to properly care for the Silvery Ann Pothos treating more like a Scindapsus pictus rather than like a pothos plant.

Silvery Ann Pothos vs. Satin Pothos vs. Silver Philodendron

These 3 plants look very much alike because there are all vining plants that trail. They have similarly shaped green colored leave that have silver spots on them.

However, all 3 are different plants.

Here’s how to tell

Silver Philodendron – is Scindapsus pictus ‘Argyraeus’. Compared to the other two, it has smaller leaves that are more flat. The silver variegations are not as heavy as well. So, you’ll see more of the green
Satin Pothos – is the Scindapsus pictus ‘Exotica’. It has the largest leaves of the 3 varieties. And, the leaves curl a bit on the edges. It also has larger silver blotches covering a bigger section of the leaves.
Silvery Ann Pothos – is the Scindapsus pictus ‘Silver Ann’. This one looks very similar to the Satin Pothos. However, its variegations are even heavier sometimes covering the entire leaf. The Silvery Ann Pothos is also the smaller plant of the two.

Silvery Ann Pothos Plant Care

Scindapsus Silvery Ann Light Requirements

The Silvery Ann Pothos enjoys moderate to bright light that is indirect, dappled or filtered. This make sit perfect for an eastern or northern exposure.

On the other hand, you want to be more careful with a western or southern exposure, especially near the window because of the harsher mid-day sun that dominates these locations.

Too much or overly long exposure to strong sun or even artificial lighting will burn the plant’s leaves. Or at the very least cause them to get discolored.

While the plant will survive and live through this, its leaves will become ugly or be damaged.

Thus, if you want to keep the Silvery Ann Pothos in a west or south facing direction you have two options.

Filter the sunlight so that some of it gets blocked. You can use sheer blinds, a shade cloth, shade from a tree right outside the window or even blinds.
Distance the plant from the window opening so the rays of the sun never touch the plant. Three or so feet will usually be enough. If there’s a lot of light coming in from the window, you can even place the plant in the middle of the room or all the way to the wall facing the window. I’ve tried positioning as far as 10-12 feet from the window in a bright room and it has no problem with the amount of light.

The reason you can do this without harm or affecting its growth is that the Scindapsus Silvery Ann can handle low light. It will likewise be happy with fluorescent lighting if your room does not have a much window access.

If you want to keep the plant outside, partial shade is the best. Keep it away from full sun.

Scindapsus Silvery Ann Temperature

The Scindapsus Silvery Ann is a tropical plant that is used to warm weather. It hails from Southeast Asia which hugs the equator.

Thus, in its natural habitat, it is accustomed to sunshine every day of the year with no sign or snow. It also gets a good amount of rain during the rainy season.

This makes its native climate moderate to very hot and humid.

As such, this is the kind of environment it enjoys and is most comfortable with.

So, its ideal temperature is between 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. It likewise has no issue with temperatures that go up to the high 90s.

But you want to be careful with cold weather since the plant does not tolerate this well. Keep it away from temperatures that are 45 degrees or lower. While it can tolerate this, the longer it stays there and the colder it gets, the more likely the plant will get stressed or even sustain damage.

For this reason, you’ll often see it outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11 because there are the southern coastal states like California, Texas and Florida which have weather that don’t experience snow in winter.

Humidity

Humidity is not a factor when caring for the Silvery Ann Pothos. While it prefers moderate to high humidity (50% to 70%), if its not very picky about this nor does it fuss when it does not receive it.

This is one of the reasons the plant is easy to care for in homes. It will easily tolerate regular household humidity.

This means you don’t need to do much to accommodate it.

That said, there is a little bit of difference when it stays in a dry to moderate humidity environment compared to a moderate to high humidity environment.

With the latter, it will grow much faster and produce more leaves.

But the look of the plant will just be the same. Thus, the difference is in size and amount of foliage.

For this reason, some growers will mist the plant or use a humidifier to increase air moisture.

How Often to Water Silvery Ann Pothos

Just like most of the aspects above. the Silvery Ann Pothos is low maintenance when it comes to watering. It is very tolerant of dryness and will forgive you if you forget to water or are late in adding moisture.

But, its optimal watering schedule is about once a week (7 days give or take 1-2 days). The hotter the weather, the sooner you will need to water. And, the colder the weather, the longer you’ll want to wait.

Similarly, the more sun the plant gets, the faster the soil will dry and vice versa.

Ideally, the Silvery Ann Pothos enjoys moist soil. Although it is best served if you let the soil dry a bit between waterings.

That’s because it cannot tolerate overwatering. So, this is the one thing you want to avoid.

Therefore, the best way to water the plant is:

Wait until the top 1-2 inches of soil dries out before adding more water. Just stick your index finger down into the soil to the second knuckle. Then feel your fingertip. It should feel completely dry before you water. If there is any moisture or feeling of wetness, wait a few days, then test the soil again.
Water deeply then allow the plant to drain. To keep the soil moist and the roots happy, when you water, drench the root ball. You want it to get completely saturated with water. This way the roots get the moisture they desire. But once the liquid drips from the bottom of the pot, stop watering. Then, let the soil completely drain. This latter step will ensure that the roots never end up sitting in water for extended periods. As such, you give the roots what they want, and avoid overwatering.

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Silvery Ann Pothos Potting Soil

In keeping with the plant’s being easy to care for, you don’t need to use any special soil for your Silvery Ann Pothos. Regular potting mix works well.

You want something that will hold enough moisture but is well-draining and contains nutrients as well. The plant likewise appreciates soil with pH between 6.1 to 6.5.

The most important thing is to avoid wet, soggy soil. Therefore, you do want to monitor the potting mix you get to make sure it is not holding too much moisture.

If it does, add some perlite, vermiculite, pumice or coarse sand to improve drainage. How much you add will depend on how much drainage it needs.

One thing I’ve noticed with regular potting soil is you want to avoid it from getting too dry. When this happens, it will get compacted.

Does the Silvery Ann Pothos Climb?

Yes! The Silvery Ann Pothos is a climber. And this is how it lives in the wild. This allows the plant, which starts out small (and near the floor) to climb up tree trunks.

In doing so it is able to see more bright light which helps it grown. Whereas, if it just stayed in the forest floor its exposure to sun would be blocked by pretty much any other plant taller than it is.

So, while most people will display the plant in hanging baskets because of its trailing nature, the Silvery Ann Pothos is actually happiest when allowed to climb.

This also lets it grow the tallest (longest) while producing the largest leaves.

Scindapsus Silvery Ann Fertilizer

The Scindapsus Silvery Ann is not a heavy feeder. And it does need a lot of plant food. However, it needs fertilizer.

If you don’t feed it, it will grow much slower, produces much fewer leaves and smaller foliage at that. Although, it will survive. But you have a smaller plant overall.

The extra nutrients allow the plant to grow its best at a healthy rate.

So, the two most important things with feeding your Scindapsus Silvery Ann are:

Use fertilizer – the brand and type are less important. Instead, just feed it
Don’t overfeed it – this is the only danger with feeding. If you see it grow faster, you may get tempted to add more or apply more frequently. Try not to give into that temptation. Instead, just follow the instructions.

You can use an all-purpose or balanced houseplant fertilizer once a month during the spring and summer. Water soluble is easier to use because you want to dilute the application by 50%. Just add water into he container and start pouring the solution to the soil.

You can likewise use a slow release fertilizer or fish emulsion if you wish.

Again, it is less about what kind your use but more importantly that you give the Scindapsus Silvery Ann fertilizer.

Pruning

The Silvery Ann Pothos can grow to different sizes depending on how you plant it.

Outdoors, it can reach 10 feet tall. And, will get taller if you can mimic its natural habitat. Indoors, it is more limited in size.

If given a stake or pole to climb on, it can get to 3 or so feet tall. Here, it will also produce larger leaves.
However, the plant is usually the shortest in a pot. Although it can get bushy and spread out towards the sides. When this happens, it will look wider than it is tall.
Then there’s the hanging pot. In hanging pots, the plant won’t get as long as when allowed to climb. It will also take longer to get bigger compared to when given a support. But it can get bushy which makes it beautiful to look at when draping down. The thing to watch out for with hanging pots or baskets are leggy stems. Those near the bottom can sometimes get leggy. So you want to prune them when they do.

As you can see, tow big and how long the plant gets will depend on the way you display it. As such, this will also affect how often you need to prune it.

In most cases, trimming is only needed for shaping. You also want to remove leggy stems and damaged foliage. If your plant is a bit sparse and you want it to get bushier, pruning will likewise help.

Thus, some growers regularly trim their Silvery Ann Pothos until it achieves the fullness they’re looking for.

How to Propagate Silvery Ann Pothos

Propagating your Silvery Ann Pothos is easy. And it takes very well to it because the plant readily roots. This will allow you to grow a new plant from the parent.

The best ways to propagate the plant are:

Stem propagation – use stem or stem tip cuttings. You can use the stems cut off while pruning. Stem propagation also lets you grow many new plants at the same time if you want.
Division – is done by separating the current root ball into segments, with each segment becoming a new plant. The best time to do this is when you repot the plant. It also lets you skip the rooting process thus making it faster. But you’re limited in how many new plants you can create due to the size of the plant.

Propagating Silvery Ann Pothos from Stem Cuttings (Stem Propagation)

Cut off a stem. Pick a healthy stem with at least a few leaves on it. You can take a stem tip cutting which is closer to the end of the vine. Or, go with a longer stem, which will let you cut it shorter pieces. Thus, you have multiple stem cuttings.

The most important thing is that each cutting needs a node. This is where the roots will grow form. So, if there is no node in the cutting, it will never successfully propagate.

After you have your cutting, the fastest way to grow a new plant is through soil propagation.

With soil propagation:

Plant the cutting into potting mix.
You want the bury the node under the soil.
Keep the soil moist and leave the cutting in a bright area with no direct sunlight.
It will take a few weeks to a month or so before the roots will grow long enough and grab hold of the soil.

Another option is water propagation, here:

Place the cutting into a glass container with water. Keep the node submerged. But remove any leaves that touch the liquid.
You can watch the roots as they grow.
And once the rotos get past 2 inches long, you an pot it up in soil.

How to Repot or Transplant Silvery Ann Pothos

Repotting is a very important part of keeping your Silvery Ann Pothos healthy. Although, the plant does not need regular repotting as it takes about 2 or so year before you need to do so.

Again, how quickly it will grow will vary depend on how you pot the plant. Additionally, how much sun it gets has a huge effect on how quickly it will grow.

That said, once you see roots coming out from the bottom of the drainage holes, it means the plant needs a larger container.

When repotting:

Try to wait until spring to repot. This is the best time because the plant it strong and actively growing. it also gives your Silvery Ann Pothos a full growing season to grow after being transplanted before the cold season arrives.
Prepare the new pot (1 size larger than the current one) and fresh potting mix.
If you want to repot indoors, I suggest doing it on a potting desk (or something similar), in a sink or on the floor with newspaper to make cleaning easier.
When ready, take the plant out of the pot.
Then check the roots for any damage or rotting. Brush off excess dirt to see more of the roots.
If there are rotted roots or roots that don’t look white and firm, prune them off.
This is also the time you can divide the plant if you want to propagate it using this method. This is a good option if you want to limit the plant’s size.
Next fill the new pot nearly halfway with fresh potting mix.
Insert the root ball into the new pot.
Then fill the remaining space with fresh potting mix.
Pack in the soil a bit but not too much. You don’t want compact soil so don’t overdo it.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

The Silvery Ann Pothos is toxic to cats, dogs and even humans. Therefore avoid leaving it somewhere within reach of your pets or young kids.

While it is not deadly, ingesting parts of the plant, including the leaves and stem can cause oral swelling as well as digestive tract issues like vomiting.

Silvery Ann Pothos Problems & Troubleshooting

Scindapsus Silvery Ann Pests

The Silvery Ann Pothos rarely gets any pests. However, it is not immune to them.

So, you may still see spider mites, scale insects and mealybugs come an attack the plant.

The most important thing when you see these pests it to immediate isolate the plant and start treatment. The longer you wait, the more the pest will grow because they reproduce quite quickly.

I like to spray them off with water. You can use the sink, shower or a hose to do this. Another option you can go with Is neem oil.

Diseases

Root rot is something you want to avoid at all costs. It is caused by overwatering which can prevent the plant’s root from getting oxygen.

If this happens too often or for long periods of time, the roots will eventually turn black or brown in color and become mushy instead of the healthy firm texture they have when healthy.

The best way to avoid root rot is to let the plant dry a bit between waterings.

If you have your suspicions because the soil tends to stay wet or soggy, take the plant out of the pot and inspect the root ball.

Roots should be white and firm. There should also be no smelly rotting odor.

Scindapsus Pictus Silvery Ann Care – Growing Silvery Ann Pothos