Bulldog Treaded Tree Planting Spear

Bulldog Treaded Tree Planting Spear: £19.47*

*Price correct at time of publishing

Tested February 2026

This is called a tree planter spade or spear, the name is slightly confusing because you might expect a large spade for digging large holes whereas it’s quite the opposite: this is a relatively short spade - 94cm long overall - with a narrow, tapered blade designed for planting whips, small shrubs, or bulbs.

The spade looks very strong and of a good quality, it has a good hefty weight without feeling heavy, ideal for breaking through heavy ground and roots.

It has a short ash shaft between the handle and metal blade shaft, this is riveted into the metal “D” shaped grip with an ash handle. The blade itself measures 12cm wide at the top and tapers down to 7cm at the curved cutting edge. One feature I really like is the longer than usual metal shaft (28cm), the blade and shaft are solid forged making them extremely strong, it also has treads to stop slippage in wet and muddy conditions- this also helps to protect the users footwear when applying pressure. All metal parts are coated in a hard wearing textured paint.

The spade is not suited for moving large amounts of soil but for smaller holes or planting trenches it's perfect. I think with time the paint will wear off the blade but in my view this is a good thing as the Barnsdale soil does seem to stick quite well to the textured paint.

Conclusion: What a great tool! It’s very strong and coped well with the heavy ground at Barnsdale.