Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a Tree Planting Spade and Tree Planting Spear? Should I care either way?
Spades are designed to dig holes, great for young trees with large root balls. They usually have wide blades to move and carry soil efficiently.
Planting Spears (or Planting Bars) are designed to make a planting slot for tree saplings, quickly, without shovelling any soil. They have narrow long blades suitable for bare root and cell grown saplings.
So you use a tree planting Spear with a different technique to a tree planting Spade?
The technique should depend on planting conditions rather than what tool you’re using but spears are used to create a planting slot by piercing and waggling, dropping the sapling in, then used again to backslot 6” away to close the pocket from the bottom before heeling-in. They can also be used for the right angle slot and lift method.
Which one is right for me, the PLANTEM®️ Spear or Dibber?
Both have their advantages. The Spear excels when there is more ground cover or brash, heavier, stony or rooted soils. It may be better if you have larger sapling too as it can be used to dig a hole rather than lever open a slot.
The Dibber is ideal for cells or plugs as it creates the hole without the waggle.
How heavy is the Spear?
2.5kg which we believe is a good balance between durability and portability, balancing well in the hand when hiking to the planting spot.
Are you VAT registered?
Yes, advertised prices include UK VAT, or EU VAT charged at your national rate (if the order value is less than <€150). VAT invoices are sent with all orders.
Quality of our Tree Planting Tools
PLANTEM® Tree Planting Spears and Dibbers are manufactured locally to Marshy Ridge Ltd HQ in Staffordshire. We’ve worked with the fabrication company for many years and seen the hard work and effort they place in delivering high quality workmanship.
Manufacturing our products in the UK gives us control of the supply chain and quality of goods we supply, helping significantly reduce transport mileage and our products carbon footprint.
Dispatch & Delivery
Orders are dispatched within 2 working days (typically 1 working day) from order receipt, unless pre-ordering for a specified date. Our products are packaged with minimal plastic content and all items are dispatched from Marshy Ridge Ltd using Carbon Offset transport as standard.
We take pride in the small things that help our customer achieve a big impact.