Stewarts Office Plants

We supply many businesses across the South, from Sussex and Surrey, through Hampshire and Dorset to Wiltshire and Somerset. For more information about the services we offer visit our home page, or contact us here. In this blog you'll find news, interesting snippets, stories and pictures of our staff's adventures out on the road.

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Feature pest: hard scale

 

In order to save this blog from being just "Jonathan posts funny signs from offices" here is one of my irregular posts about a common houseplant pest. This one is a little swine, thankfully not the most common, but very tenacious when you do have it. 

Hard scale is a part of the larger scale family that also includes my favourite Snow Scale and also Mealy Bug, which many people don't realise is a type of scale at all.  

Now, the reason hard scale is a particularly tenacious pest is because it is hard! As you can see in this image they somewhat resemble barnacles. 

This means that scale is well-armoured (so nonabsorbent) against any pesticide applications etc. In practice the younger softer scales may be killed, but not the harder ones, so the key if using pesticides is repeated applications. 

I am told that rubbing alcohol is also quite effective. But I have found the best method is physical removal, to whit scraping them off with a finger. 

Jonathan

Monday, November 23, 2020

More silly office signs...

 

I'm no plumber, but...

All I ever seem to post on this blog now is funny pictures from our clients' offices. 

Part of the reason is that we now have a Facebook page (hint, hint) which is where I tend to post the more obviously promotional stuff, and pretty pictures of plants. 

Anyway I'm not stopping, so there. 

I took this photo in a Hampshire engineering company, specifically in the loo. Now, I'm no plumber, but I'm fairly sure putting a sign on the window won't stop a tap running. 

My best guess is it is one of those motion-activated ones and somehow the light through the window sets it off. 

Reminds me of the famous 'pigeon alerter' from 2012. I wonder if the creator ever got their patent? 

The one below really defies all rational explanation. The only mitigation I can offer is that it was about 5 feet long and drawn on one of those wipeable wall/noticeboards, and is in the office of a Norwegian-based (I think) engineering company in Bristol staffed by some very quirky people, who also produced the 'cake is real' sign. 

Yes, that really does say 'Norwegian Mountain Cat' 

It was probably meant to only have a transient existence back in March, but the office has been closed since then. I wonder if the artist will be surprised to see it still there when this lockdown nonsense finally concludes?