My favorite spring bonsai tool

[Joe Dupre']

Yes, spring is just about here in South Louisiana. My absolute favorite time of the year. I've done just about all of my repotting and am looking for bud-break on most of my trees. My magnifying glass is my favorite tool at this time of the year. I can see the buds swelling on my bald cypress, elms, mulberries, oaks and sweet gums. I just saw a half dozen green buds popping on a 4" honey locust I collected just last week. Yes, I look a bit weird going around with a magnifying glass , peering intently at all my trees.

By the way, maybe it's just South Louisiana, but I almost never wait to repot for actual bud-break. We seem to have a larger window of collection and repotting here that I dearly love.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Don't leave it out uncovered though!

I remember this tale from the internet.

A girl walked in to a novelty items shop and was looking very interested in a glass sphere.
The lady salesperson, who looked like a fortune teller, approached and told the girl "If you buy this, please cover it up when you're not using it. Otherwise bad things will happen."
The girl looked at her and asked: "Why? Are you seeing something in there about my future? Would bad spirits come out?"
The lady laughed and said "Nah, it'll act like a magnifying glass and burn your friggin house down.".

 

[Srt8madness]

I've got white roots growing on JBP and even the BC roots are waking up. I'm repotting now - granted it's mostly younger stock I'm training roots on and increasing container size.

 

[Srt8madness]

Also time to make some collections, I've got my eyes on sweetgum this year

 

[JeffS73]

Don't leave it out uncovered though!

I remember this tale from the internet.

A girl walked in to a novelty items shop and was looking very interested in a glass sphere.
The lady salesperson, who looked like a fortune teller, approached and told the girl "If you buy this, please cover it up when you're not using it. Otherwise bad things will happen."
The girl looked at her and asked: "Why? Are you seeing something in there about my future? Would bad spirits come out?"
The lady laughed and said "Nah, it'll act like a magnifying glass and burn your friggin house down.".

I literally had this happen in my house when i was renovating. I'd cleared my mums house out, and one item was this 4in round crystal ball ornament, I'd just put all the stuff up in the attic. Now, the attic had roof windows, and I'd taken out the new smoke alarm to do some decorating, I was downstairs plastering.
I smelt this smell, like a neighbour having a garden fire, ignored it. Smell got stronger, so I quit my plastering hit, and went to the attic to spot the neighbours fire.
Instead of a yard fire outside, there was a small plume of smoke rising from the newly carpeted floor, right where the ball was! I lifted it, and it had burned a 3" hole all the way through the carpet and was getting into the chipboard floor. Clear blue sky on an Autumn day. Thank God I was in the house!

 

[TrevorLarsen]

Don't leave it out uncovered though!

I remember this tale from the internet.

A girl walked in to a novelty items shop and was looking very interested in a glass sphere.
The lady salesperson, who looked like a fortune teller, approached and told the girl "If you buy this, please cover it up when you're not using it. Otherwise bad things will happen."
The girl looked at her and asked: "Why? Are you seeing something in there about my future? Would bad spirits come out?"
The lady laughed and said "Nah, it'll act like a magnifying glass and burn your friggin house down.".

That reminds me of a story. I work in aviation manufacturing and it is standers practice to not have many windows because we use magnifying glasses and other shops have burned down because of this issue.

 

[WavyGaby]

Swelling buds, I say

 

[Cajunrider]

I literally had this happen in my house when i was renovating. I'd cleared my mums house out, and one item was this 4in round crystal ball ornament, I'd just put all the stuff up in the attic. Now, the attic had roof windows, and I'd taken out the new smoke alarm to do some decorating, I was downstairs plastering.
I smelt this smell, like a neighbour having a garden fire, ignored it. Smell got stronger, so I quit my plastering hit, and went to the attic to spot the neighbours fire.
Instead of a yard fire outside, there was a small plume of smoke rising from the newly carpeted floor, right where the ball was! I lifted it, and it had burned a 3" hole all the way through the carpet and was getting into the chipboard floor. Clear blue sky on an Autumn day. Thank God I was in the house!

One of my neighbors had their back deck burned down nearly halfway before they discovered the fire. The cause was very similar to your case.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

That reminds me of a story. I work in aviation manufacturing and it is standers practice to not have many windows because we use magnifying glasses and other shops have burned down because of this issue.

I still believe it's big electric trying to scam you in using more lamps! It's phillips! Those sneaky Dutch guys ruined sunlight!

 

[Eckhoffw]

This sounds fun. Magnifying glass to view the bud break. I never thought to do this.

My only question, what’s with that little magnifying glass you have there?
I’ve never seen one like that.