A Cost-Effective Solution
Trinity™ fungicide keeps summertime brown patch at bay
Chris Butcher is no stranger to being the underdog in the lawn care business. As the founder and sole proprietor of the Lawn Cure company in Raleigh, N.C., he must compete with larger lawn care service operators in his area. With nearly 125 customers, Butcher has a lot to manage, especially because he is Lawn Cure's only employee.
But there's something that Butcher thinks distinguishes his business from the competition – quality, service and results. Lawn Cure relies almost entirely on referrals and community word-of-mouth.
"It's hard to compete with the ‘bigger boys' in the lawn care world who can offer more competitive pricing," said Butcher. "I just focus on providing my customers with the best possible service, so when they see the results, they'll pass on my name."
Working in the lawn care business in central North Carolina is also difficult because of the climate. During the year, the region swings from periods of heavy rain and humidity to stretches of intense drought and dry heat. Butcher explained that the weather presents a challenge because most grass in North Carolina grows from predominately heavy clay soil, which has a very low PH level.
"In our region, we are both blessed and cursed with having clay soil," said Butcher. "If it gets wet, it stays wet, but if it dries, it stays very dry. You just have to learn to adapt to the evolving conditions."
Butcher serves customers who have both cool and warm season grasses. But with the ever-changing climate, all the grasses become vulnerable to fungal diseases – most notably, brown patch. In the hot and humid summer months, brown patch outbreaks are likely to occur on cool season grasses, especially tall fescue.
"It's a tough disease to deal with in my area with the heat, humidity and lots of rainfall," said Butcher. "Very few customers want preventative applications, even when you advise that they may need a treatment. But when they see the disease outbreak or discoloration, that's when they're calling you to treat."
Butcher found Trinity™ fungicide as the solution to his customers' woes. Trinity is a DMI fungicide that provides broad spectrum control of turfgrass diseases including anthracnose, take-all patch, summer patch and dollar spot. The active ingredient, triticonazole, is quickly absorbed by leaves, crowns and roots of the treated grass and also works to suppress algae.
Butcher offers his fungicide application as an optional program for his customers. In the early spring, he sends out a letter to clients explaining the variety of fungicide programs to choose from. Trinity is a staple for Butcher's fungicide program, especially when it comes to treating brown patch.
"Convincing customers to invest in fungicide applications can be a tough task, but with Trinity I know it will get the job done and I'm confident to suggest the treatment to my customers," said Butcher.
Butcher determines his application rate for Trinity based on the severity of the disease outbreak and always follows the recommended label instructions. Butcher's customers who selected the Trinity fungicide treatment option have been pleased with the products results. "My length of control ranges anywhere from two to four weeks," said Butcher.
Because of Trinity's long range of control, he has been able to reduce the number of times he returns to customers' lawns for follow-up treatment. "In this business, it's all about results, and Trinity delivers," said Butcher. "It gives me a peace of mind because I'm not called back for additional treatments."
"With fuel costs as high as they are, time is money. Repeating a treatment is a major inconvenience for me and my customers," said Butcher. "It's not great to go back to a customer because a product didn't work properly. But with Trinity, I know it works."
For Lawn Cure, a business devoted and also dependent on customer service, choosing the right product to get the right results is vital.
