Bamboo and root digging tools

Digging up Bamboo or other plants with strong tangled roots is a challenge that ordinary shovels and spades struggle with. Here are some tools that are designed for this task. The tools below range in price from US $80 to over US $300. Shipping can add quite a bit more on some of them.

MidAtlantic Bamboo Spade

The Bamboo Spade looks like a transplant spade with a sliding weight that you can raise and lower to pound the spade through the roots (or hard dirt). The spade is reinforced so that it can be used for prying up plants.

Links: Product website Youtube Demo

The Slammer

The Slammer looks like a digging bar with a wide blade and a sliding weight you can raise and lower to hammer the tool down. It is very rugged and can be also used for demolition in addition to the garden. It is manufactured in New Zealand and has US distributors.

Links: Product Website Youtube Reviews and Demos

Brush Grubber Root Buster HD

The Root Buster HD looks like a digging bar with a wide blade and a sliding weight you can raise and lower to hammer the tool down.

Links: Product website

B'ROOT BAR

Looks like a digging bar with a large axe head welded on the end. No sliding weight, also called a vertical axe. Sold on Amazon and other places

Links: Warning: Their website listed in the descriptions of their YouTube videos appears to have been hacked (as of June 2023) YouTube Channel: Product Youtube Channel

Smarkey Root Cutting/Digging Tool

Digging bar with sliding weight on handle. Blade looks narrower that most of the other tools listed here. Just appeared on Amazon, no reviews yet.

Link: Amazon