Scrubbing sooty mold from windows, sills, and ficus plants

Curator J... assigned the first task of the day to be adding additional support to one of the tall plants in the Display Room 2, The Ancient Rainforest biome. The tree, a syzygium, had grown pencil-thin and quite tall such that the very top 3 feet had drooped over on itself, threatening to break the trunk. I found a ladder and re-tied the top of the tree so that it couldn't droop.

Next, Coordinator A... asked to have the windows in Display Room 2 to be cleaned. Some of the panes had become caked with sooty mold where the trees had rubbed their sooty leaves on the glass. The trees have now been pruned back to allow better air circulation. But now the sooty window panes are visible to guests.

I found a large ladder to prop up against frame work around the windows. I used soapy water, a cap full of bleach, and a rag to clean the panes. Finally, I used a hose and spray nozzle to rinse the glass.

Finally, I used the same long ladder to reach up into one of the ficus trees to clean the leaves. Most of the leaves had become caked with sooty mold. They were very dirty looking and easily seen by visitors. The tree looked a bit better after cleaning.

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