In the pre-dawn hours before it is acceptable to start a lawn mower, crew chiefs tune into the morning news or view Doppler radar to determine what the work day holds.
Just as school superintendents sift through weather reports on snow days, those who mow lawns need to know if it's worth sending out crews when rain is predicted.
"We don't want to mow in the rain," said Tim Tompkins, lawn care supervisor for Corporate Landscaping Solutions in Grand Rapids.
The firm has two crews to care for about 80 corporate clients in the Grand Rapids area. When it rains, work backs up. When it's dry, some crews put in 14 hour days.
After a much needed dry weekend, showers hit the area Monday and early today. The Grand Rapids area logged nearly 4 inches of rain last week.
"We got caught up over the weekend, but the way the grass is growing makes it tough," Tompkins said.
D.J.'s Lawn Service Inc. in Grand Rapids schedules mowing Monday through Thursday, with Friday and Saturday set aside as make-up days.
"This is the first time in five years we were cutting on Saturday," said owner David J. VanderSlik. "We've been blessed with work."
May is a busy time for businesses tied to lawn care. When it rains, it pours, and sleep-deprived crews try to keep up.
Add to that do-it-yourselfers who wants more horse power to prevent grass clogs, or a sharpened blade to slice through it, and the rain has been a boon for the lawn-care industry.
"It's been good in that we have a lot of people calling saying 'Can you do a one-time deal?' and it's been bad in that we can't get out and take care of the regular customers because of the rain," said Kelly Early, administrative assistant at DeVries Landscape Management in Jenison.
"The normal workday is 9 hours, but last week we were working 14 hours. It definitely is a job that's affected by the weather."
And not just for those running the mowers.
"The rain is definitely a trigger," said Todd Arnold, general manager Arnold's Equipment Inc. in Kentwood, which sells and services mowers.
"As we get more rain and the grass grows uncontrollably, people buy higher-quality mulchers with more horse power, equipment that will work for them," Arnold said.
With people mowing more often, many turn to Bill Andrews for a needed edge.
"On the first warm days, we have people bringing in blades for sharpening," said Andrews, owner of Bill's Sharpening Service on Alpine Avenue NW in Comstock Park. "Now, it's a maintenance thing; people are bringing in blades for a second time."
Blade sharpening is seasonal, to be sure. "If there's a hot spell and the grass turns brown, it drops off dramatically," Andrews said. "If it stays warm and wet, then we're busy all summer with mower blades."
While there's plenty of business, the giddiness has been tempered by a spike in the fuel needed to keep mowers running.
A year ago, it cost about $80 a week to fuel equipment at The Specialist, a family lawn care service in Walker.
With gas near $2.14 gallon, last week's fuel tab was $180, said Wardine Chambers, whose husband and son cut lawns for about 80 customers. She keeps the books.
Many firms that sold lawn service contracts before the price hike will absorb the increase.
Chambers said her customers are pinching pennies as it is and cannot afford to pay more for lawn care.
"We are the little people, a small firm, and we know what it is like," she said. "A lot of our customers are making less, even when they do find a job."