Lots of rain creating havoc for businesses

May 14—HERMITAGE — Paula Kerins only needed one word to describe what the abundant spring rainfall has meant to her business.

"Crazy, crazy, crazy," Kerins, co-owner of Tam O'Shanter Golf Course in Hermitage said.

It's bad enough that rainy days drives away golfers. But it also takes a toll on equipment to maintain the course.

"I really had it one day," Kerins said. "We had three pieces of equipment stuck in mud all at the same time."

The rain isn't going away soon. AccuWeather is forecasting daily rain Wednesday through Saturday.

Business at Pine Hill Golf Course in Sugar Grove Township was off a whopping 60% in April compared to typical years, co-owner Rod Wilt said. And so far in May business is off 20%.

But Wilt said he knows the rain will eventually stop.

"We're very excited for the summer as we have a ton of events and our league play is starting," he said.

Local landscapers like Matt Kraynak are pulling their hair out. This has the makings of the fourth wettest spring over the past 50 years, he said.

"We're very far behind that's for sure," Kraynak, owner of MK Landscape in Hermitage said of landscaping work. "It's been a real struggle."

For lots of trees and shrubs planting them in mud can choke off their roots and kill them.

"And that's why we're behind," Kraynak said. "We don't want to plant them in these kinds of conditions."

Creating a work schedule is havoc when the land is swampy, Wes Roberts, owner of Wes Roberts Landscaping in Hermitage, said.

"We leave days open when we first create our schedule because we know the rain is coming," Roberts said. "But you don't know when those rainy days are coming and how often."

Do-it-yourself garden planters also need to take heed of soggy conditions, Dennis James, owner of DJ's Greenhouse and Gardens in Delaware Township said.

Rain can cause the soil to compact — under the right conditions it hardens like concrete, which can kill plants.

"You always want the soil to be loose," James said. "You just have to wait for the rain to stop."

Among the plants most susceptible are peppers, egg plant, tomatoes and lilac, he said.

But rain is good for some in nature. Unfortunately it's fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. And they can breed in tall grass, which is abundant when rain prevents people from cutting their lawns.

These insects are tough enough on humans, but they can be fatal for cats and dogs, said Josh Fette, practice manager and owner of Fette Veterinary Clinic, Hermitage.

"Mosquitoes can be the nasty guys," Fette said. "They can carry heartworms that can kill a cat or dog if untreated."

Preventative products are readily available for pets to combat insects. Depending on the critter being fought, there's collars, pills, topical ointments and injections to keep them at bay.

"But there's no universal method out there," he said. "We use what's best for each particular pet and what their owners are most comfortable with."