Conditions have been ideal for plant growth. May is a month of continued active plant development but rainfall is usually very sporadic and temperatures can be hot. This can be stressful for plants. Cool season annuals are past their peak and should be replaced with those adapted to the heat and humidity of the coming summer rainy season. Since tightened water restrictions limit landscape irrigation to only one day a week, it is very important to use that irrigation time properly.
Irrigation needs to wet the soil to a depth of a foot.
This will encourage deeper, more extensive root systems better able to tolerate drought. If plants are mulched to a depth of 3-4 inches this will reduce evaporation. Do not pile up mulch against the trunk of plants. Fatty acids from the bugs can pit painting on cars, soil clothing and the insects can clog radiators. There are no control measures for these insects other than natural diseases and predators.