The Coastal Gardener:

***FOR THE RECORD: Saturday’s “The Coastal Gardener” column should have said that the city of Newport Beach is considering a prohibition on the use of leaf blowers, or at least significant restrictions on them. ***

Yes, ‘n’ how many times can a man turn his head,

Pretending he just doesn’t see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,

The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

— Bob Dylan, April 1962

This morning I dropped off my daughter at school, stopping on the way home at the bagel shop for my morning coffee. Pulling back up to my house, as I do every Thursday morning, I noticed a gardener’s pickup truck about four or five doors away.

For the most part, I don’t pay much attention to the activities of local gardeners. When I do glance their way, I see them taking care of their weekly chores. I generally think gardeners are hard working and earn every dollar they get. People like to complain about their gardener, but to me it’s like asking the maintenance team at a hospital to help out in the operating room.

Generally I just don’t notice professional gardeners. Until they turn their leaf blowers on.

Leaf blowers were introduced to the United States in the 1970s as a maintenance tool. Drought conditions at the time in California facilitated their acceptance; an alternative to hoses for many clean-up tasks. By 1990, annual sales of leaf blowers were at more than 800,000 units nationwide, and the tool had become as common to a gardener as a pair of hedge shears. By 1998, shipments of gasoline-powered blowers exceeded 1.8 million units.

Soon after leaf blowers were introduced, their use became a controversial topic among homeowners and at local government meetings. Two California cities banned their use immediately, including Beverly Hills in 1978. Today there are more than 20 prominent California cities that have banned leaf blowers altogether, including Laguna Beach, Dana Point, Santa Barbara, Del Mar and Santa Monica. Another 100 California cities have adopted ordinances limiting their use, especially in residential areas.

Noise pollution may be the biggest concern, but health and environmental issues are also part of the argument to limit their use.

At the core of the issue is that leaf blowers don’t remove debris; they just move it around. But the consequences of moving these leaves and grass clippings to a new location have grown too great for many people. By definition, leaf blowers blow.

In Newport Beach, residents have been complaining about the use of leaf blowers for years. The city has a prohibition on their use, or at least significant restrictions. On Tuesday evening, the Newport Beach City Council conducted a study session devoted to the topic, but decisions don’t appear to be coming any time soon. The council did agree to survey HOAs and gardening professionals about how best to address the leaf blower issue.

Meanwhile, last month Corona del Mar polled citizens about the leaf blowers. The response rate was the highest ever recorded by the community. Fifty-five percent wanted an outright ban on the blowers, and 85% wanted to either ban or limit leaf blower emissions, days and hours of use, or their noise levels within residential neighborhoods. Fifteen percent did not want any changes in the residential usage of leaf blowers.

Obviously, gas-fueled leaf blowers create air pollution — one hour of use is about equal to a car driven 100 miles. In addition to the air pollution created by the engine, a lot more than just leaves might be getting blown around. Rather than calling them leaf blowers, critics often refer to the devices as “dust blowers” because the particulate matter swept into the air often includes dust, mold spores, herbicides, pesticides, fungi, chemicals, fertilizers, fecal matter and street particulates like lead.

According to the OSHA, the noise created by a leaf blower at 90 decibels exceeds the danger threshold and can seriously impair hearing. According to studies, at a distance of 50 feet, the average blower measures 70 to 75 decibels. The World Health Organization says that in a healthy environment, daytime noise levels should not exceed 55 decibels, a level which coincides with Newport Beach’s own 55- to 60-decibel noise limit.

In addition to air and noise pollution, watershed pollution is another concern, especially in our communities. Debris and pollutants that get blown into the air eventually lands in streets and gutters. Sooner or later these pollutants end up in our oceans and bays.

But those at the highest risk from gas-powered leaf blowers are probably the blower operators themselves — the gardeners, who regularly forgo wearing protective headsets and respiratory masks.

The gardener’s pickup truck is gone from my neighbor’s house now. I guess it’s time to head outside with my old fashioned broom and clean up a little.

Ask Ron

Question: When is the time to start feeding my orange tree? It is in the ground and about 8-feet tall.

Answer: Right about now, in February is the time to resume citrus fertilizing. Use an organic granular fertilizer that is high in trace minerals, especially iron, zinc and manganese.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail [email protected], or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar.