Special Notice :
Order Trees, Plastic Mulch Film, and Drip Irrigation Systems Here at HELP Shelterbelts
Order Trees, Plastic Mulch Film, and Drip Irrigation Systems Here at HELP Shelterbelts
Word from the CEO: Did you ever consider that despite trees being located on your land space, you are benefitting the entire region by producing more oxygen, stopping more wind, enticing more rainfall and creating more beauty and habitat?"
2023 has been an exciting year for HELP International as we have ramped up tree and sapling production higher than ever to meet the ever increasing demand for our trees.
Fall Planting: It was our organization HELP International who started fall shelterbelt planting on the prairies back in year 2000. Fall planting is now an established practice for all trees except NOT appropriate for spruce or pine. Trees often do better when fall planted as they access the first moisture of spring! We planted four varieties of poplar on our tree farm in mid October 2022 and put them on drip irrigation only in early June of this year. After 90 days of growing ie: May 15 to August 15 the tiny seedlings are now between 18 and 48 inches in height. These have outpaced seedlings planted this spring. Planting can be done any time from October 1 till hard freezing of the ground surface in early November.
Sapling Sales Taking Off
In addition to our 2,000,000 seedlings, HELP has increased its 10,000 sapling nursery to 20,000 saplings averaging four to five feet in height ready for fall planting including: Okanese and Tristis Poplar, Golden, Silverleaf and Laurel Leaf Willow. We also have potted Scot's Pine and White Spruce in the 18 to 24 inch range. More varieties of saplings will be available by spring. To be on the safe side, we suggest you plant our larger saplings while dormant though-out the month of October OR in late April/early May. We realized unexpectedly high potted sapling sales in our 2023 sapling launch year so are rapidly expanding that niche!
Shelterbelt Installation Services
Many of you are aware HELP carries out on a contract basis the entire package of shelterbelt tree planting, plastic mulch laying, turf grass seeding and drip irrigation installation across Saskatchewan, Manitoba and into Alberta. Two thirds of all our contract planting clients also contracted us to install drip irrigation on their tree lines. Ask for a quote today for contract shelterbelt installation for this fall or next spring. We typically carry out up to 4,000 meters of shelterbelt installation per day ie: up to four rows of 1,000 m each. An average planting is closer to three rows of 500 meters each. We are lining up so far for fall plantings near Kerrobert, Winnipeg and near to our Weyburn headquarters. Sign up now no matter where you are situated on the prairies! We bring technicians, the trees, plastic mulch film, grass seed and irrigation supply and machinery with you pre-working the land and on day of planting you providing tractor and driver and a couple more things we will tell you about.
Drip Irrigation Sales
HELP is now selling drip irrigation systems in packages for farms and acreage owners to also install on their own. We are marketing two systems to choose from: The lower cost half inch line with pre-installed emitters at 90 to 100 cm spacing; and the 7/8 inch line which requires you to punch the line at every tree with a tool we provide and install a pop-in emitter (most folks install two liter per hour emitters. We are putting together and marketing packages for both the half inch drip line (20 mm) and 7/8 inch drip line (25 mm) for the following:
3 tree rows of 100 m
3 tree rows of 200 m
3 tree rows of 300 m
3 tree rows of 400 m
3 tree rows of 500 m
Allowing us to make up kits for each of the above allows us to provide a high number of extra fittings and accessories at the lowest system cost in the market place as we don't have to design from scratch each system for each potential customer. We are going 'over the top' with extra drip line, a valve for front and back end of each line, more fittings than required for manifolds and double manifolds and double filters for systems with tree lines 400 m and more. We provide step by step instruction for DIY. We'll get a video up for instruction.
Tree Pricing
You will see that our tree seedlings have taken a small price increase. However, if you compare you will see our prices are still the lowest in Canada's marketplace. A classic example is our carigana and lilac which sell for as little as one third the national competitor price. As a means of keeping our prices down we continue to use a one price system ie: every type of tree seedling we carry we market for one uniform price despite the fact that some seedlings cost us two to three times more to produce than others.
Innovations Taking Grip
HELP's innovations and new best field practices are being picked up by more and more tree customers. Am happy to say that the ten inch tooth pick method used to pull trees in their precise location under the plastic mulch film has been successfully adopted by hundreds of customers. The system of manually healing trees after planting to create a water well is likewise gaining big momentum. For those laying plastic mulch film....our newest innovation was tested with extreme results compared to the old system of laying plastic. The new system involves a) planting the seedling b) heeling the seedling.
c) take a shallow spadeful of extra dirt away from the base of the tree (about four inches away) d) lay the plastic e) lay a 5 lb stone on the plastic pulling it down in a funnel shape into your spade hollow. f) prick the plastic at the bottom of the funnel with a screwdriver. We photo documented the results. Trees watered only once per month with the depressions/stone/funnels experienced more than double growth rate, zero mortalities and zero yellowing from drought stress compared to trees in the same row without the depressions/stone/funnels. Ask for our photo evidence if you need convincing!
Pre-positioning Tree Stocks
We at HELP continue to stay 'a year ahead' in more tree varieties than ever: We have fall and 2023 tree stocks in place for all major poplar varieties, for all three evergreen varieties, for velosa and common lilac, for green ash, Manitoba maple and American Elm. Customers no longer have to wait for the few varieties of our trees that are produced in greenhouse to harden off. This means that all of the new year's inventory will have been hardened off and have been living outdoors since the year prior. So, they will be 'tough as nails'.
Am happy to say we have tree stocks sufficiently high enough to market two year olds of many varieties for the price of one year olds. The older the seedlings are in our system the tougher they are in the field. The average height of seedlings is far greater than normal with poplar varieties averaging 18 inch stem size. This is the largest average size poplars we have sold in our twenty three year shelterbelt history.
Pre-positioning Supplies
Because of supply chain challenges in 2020 and 2021 and dramatic increases in fuel and plastics, we at HELP have been pre-positioning a year's supply in advance at HELP of plastic mulch film, and drip irrigation supplies. This necessitates a big financial roll out by HELP in the short term but saves HELP and its customers money by keeping pricing at current levels going into 2023. Not stressing about supply chain issues is well worth the bit of extra financing HELP is enduring.
Thank you to all landowners, municipalities, government departments, parks and schools across the prairies who continue to purchase trees, plastic mulch, irrigation supply and planting services through HELP International's Shelterbelt Program"
Rodney Sidloski
CEO and Founder
HELP International
HELP International Shelterbelt Program New Pricing and Sales Policies
A) Available Trees and Pricing:
Category 1: Okanese Hybrid Poplar
Tristis Hybrid Poplar
Walker Hybrid Poplar
Hill Hybrid Poplar
- 1 to 29 trees (each varieties in groups of 10): $6 each seedling -30 to 49 trees (each varieties in groups of 10): $5 each seedling
-50 to 299 trees: $2.00 each seedling (of any one variety)
-300 or more trees: $1.75 each seedling (of any one variety)
(Note: All customers receive 5% extra trees of each variety you order in leau of other warranties. Customers who pick up at our Weyburn tree farm receive an additional 10% tree bonus payable in large generic willow (most of these bonus willow are assumed to be acute willow)
Category 2: Acute Willow
Golden Willow (2 yr olds for price of 1 yr olds)
Silver Leaf Willow (2 yr olds for price of 1 yr olds)
Laurel Leaf Willow (2 yr olds for price of 1 yr olds)
Shrub Willow (2 yr olds for price of 1 yr olds)
Common Lilac
Velosa Lilac
Green Ash
Manitoba Maple
American Elm
White Spruce (Spruce and Pine not appropriate for fall planting)
Blue Spruce (Spruce and Pine not appropriate for fall planting)
Scot's Pine (Spruce and Pine not appropriate for fall planting)
-1 to 29 trees: $6 each seedling
-30 to 49 trees: $5 each seedling
-50 to 299 trees: $2.00 each
-300 or more trees: $1.75 each
New Categories:
One Gallon Potted Northwest Hybrid Poplar (1-gallon pots)
- 4-5ft tall: $15 each
- 5-6ft tall: $20 each
New Inventory of 10,000 potted fast growing fuzzless hybrid poplar saplings:
One Liter Potted Okanese, Tristis, and Prairie Sky Poplar
- 3- 3' 11'' tall: $15 each
- 4- 4'11'' tall: $20 each
- 5- 6 ft tall: $25 each
One Liter to One Gallon Potted Golden Willow, Laurel Leaf Wilow,
and Silverleaf Willow
- 3- 3' 11'' tall: $15 each
- 4- 4'11'' tall: $20 each
- 5- 6 ft tall: $25 each
Potted American Elm
- 3-4ft tall: $15 each
Large Generic Willows for towns
- 2-4 years: $2.00 each (18 to 36 inch stem size) with 65 to 170 ml root volume
B) Shipping for Seedlings:
-$40 or 30 cents per seedling (whichever is more) for any location in Prairie Provinces
-For Ontario and B.C : $80 or 60 cents per seedling (whichever is more) for any location in Ontario or British Columbia.
-Shipping Customers: Spring Tree Ship Out is May 21 through June 12 and Fall Tree Ship Out is October 1 through October 10. If you require your trees shipped at a time period other this ship out period then you will have to pay the full purolator rate. Note that Purolator rates are two to three times the rate that customers pay HELP for shipping during the standard shipping periods. We will assume customers requiring shipping agree to receive their trees shipped in the above timeframes so they do not have to specify this on the order form unless they wish to. Trees are shipped out using an uber style system where HELP pays a portion of your shipping fee to customers from your area picking up at Weyburn SK to handover your trees at a location within 50 km or closer of your home. This uber system is gaining in popularity as this is the only means of shipping that trees can travel in open container and usually arrive the very same day they are picked up in Weyburn.
Shipping for Saplings (Potted Saplings for Pick Up only or by special arrangement)
C) Early Bird Discounts:
- You can find Early Bird Discounts (Coupon) for Spring and Fall sales.
If coupon does not function please let us know and we will refund you the coupon value by interac transfer to you.
D) Special Incentives for Pick Up Customers:
i) 10 % additional bonus payable in large three year old generic (mostly acute) willow (16 to 30 inch stem length) for any pick up customer. (i.e.: if your paid order is for 100 trees and you are a pick up customer then you would receive ten large generic willow as extra pick up bonus)
ii) We pay pick up customers for each package of trees they carry and hand over to shipping customers at convenient fuel stations enroute.
E) Shipping Customer Policy:
We promise to ship your trees for local handover within 50 km or closer to your home.
If you have to travel more than 50 km to fetch your trees then we compensate you with extra trees.
F) Irrigation Systems Launch
1/2-inch Drip Line (20 mm) 7/8-inch Drip Line (20 mm) *
3 rows of 100 m each (total 300 m) $405 $540
3 rows of 200 m each (total 600 m) $780 $960
3 rows of 300 m each (total 900 m) $1,170 $1,350
3 rows of 400 m each (total 1,200 m) $1,560 $1,740
3 rows of 500 m each (total 1,500 m) $1,875 $2,100
* 1/2-inch Drip Line (20 mm) pre-installed drip line and accessories and 7/8-inch Drip Line (20 mm) with pop-in emitters. All include disk filter, and 2 valves for each tree line, in addition to unions, elbows, Ts and more.
Note: For tree rows greater than 200 m each we are providing almost double the amount of fittings to create two manifolds to divide irrigation into two ranges ie: all three tree lines being fed in two opposite directions from a mid-way point. So, we will provide for example two disk filters instead of one; 12 valves instead of 6; 6 Ts instead of 3; 6 unions instead of 3 etc. It is for this reason that the price per meter goes up by ten cents for the overall systems totalling 900 m and more.
Note on design: The half-inch system has pre-installed 1 L per hour emitters at 90 to 100 cm intervals; 1-inch drip line is the kind you must punch and pop in an emitter at each tree. The above price includes 2L/hr emitters and drip line punches for you to punch the line to install the emitters.
The above drip irrigation system is meant to be installed on top of plastic mulch film that is installed over the trees.
HELP has developed a new innovation system that doubles the effect of drip irrigation ie.: involving creating a one two-gallon depression three inches back from each tree and then laying a 5 lb stone (or 5 lb of crushed stone in a soft pot HELP provides for a few cents each) to create a funnel in the plastic. You then prick the plastic with a screwdriver near the base of the stone/funnel. Our field research shows trees with the funnels grew over twice the rate and showed zero signs of drought stress (zero mortality and no yellowing of leaves) compared with the control trees that had no funnels. Thew funnels do away with the need for micro irrigation line for each tree and water spikes that would essentially double the cost of irrigation materials.
Note: Range of minimum 40 to maximum 45 psi recommended for landowner to deliver as a waterhead at the tree line manifold(s).
Landowners can hook up to their house system (well water not recommended as most wells have too many minerals and salts for long term use for tree irrigation). Alternately landowners can use a two-inch gas banjo pump at a dugout and deliver over land if necessary one and half inch line from dugout to tree line to ensure adequate pressure. "
Planting and Irrigation Services
We also provide contract planting, plastic film weed control,
and drip irrigation installation services. Send a sketch with distances for tree lines and request a Quick Quote at [email protected] for spring, summer or fall shelterbelt installations
We also provide contract planting, plastic film weed control,
and drip irrigation installation services. Send a sketch with distances for tree lines and request a Quick Quote at [email protected] for spring, summer or fall shelterbelt installations