Most people who have planted trees or raised seedlings have encountered such difficulties: severe root damage during transplantation and low survival rate of seedlings; Potted plants have dull and rotten roots, and the soil in the pot remains moist all year round after watering; Outdoor seedling bags cannot withstand wind and sun exposure, and they break and deform within a few months… In fact, the key to these problems often lies in the material of the root bag.
In recent years, spunbond non-woven root bags have quietly become popular in the horticultural and agricultural planting fields. Compared to traditional plastic seedling bags and woven bags, what are the outstanding features of this seemingly ordinary ‘cloth bag’? Today, let’s talk about this underestimated plant care artifact.
Why is spunbond non-woven fabric the ideal material for root bags?
First, let’s clarify a concept: spunbond non-woven fabric is not ordinary fabric, but a fiber product made of high molecular weight materials such as polypropylene, which is oriented or randomly arranged through melt spinning, mesh laying, and thermal bonding. Using it as a root bag is tailor-made for plant roots.
1. Breathable and permeable, not suffocating the roots, allowing for more free breathing of the roots
Those who have raised flowers know that ‘Menggen’ is a plant killer. Traditional plastic root bags have poor breathability, and after watering, water accumulates in the bag, causing the roots to be exposed to oxygen deficiency for a long time and easily rotting and turning black. The fiber structure of spunbond non-woven fabric forms countless tiny pores, allowing air and moisture to freely circulate – excess moisture will quickly seep out when watering, avoiding water accumulation; At the same time, oxygen in the soil can continuously enter to meet the respiration needs of the roots.
There is data showing that seedlings cultivated with spunbond non-woven fabric wrapped in root bags reduce root hypoxia by more than 60% and shorten the seedling recovery time by nearly half after transplantation. That’s also why more and more greenhouse seedling bases are using this material.
2. High strength and tear resistance, more durable for outdoor use
Don’t think that non-woven fabric doesn’t look sturdy just because it looks light and thin. Non woven fabrics made by spunbond technology have high-strength tensile properties in both longitudinal and transverse directions, with tear resistance and wear resistance far exceeding that of ordinary paper or woven materials.
In outdoor environments, it can withstand wind, sun, and rain erosion, and its service life can reach 1-3 years (depending on thickness and weight). Even if the root system penetrates through the pores of the bag, it will not be broken by the growth of the root system like plastic bags. Instead, it can guide the root system to evenly distribute around, forming a “fibrous root cluster”.
3. Degradable property, no need to remove the bag during transplanting
This is one of the most surprising advantages of spunbond nonwoven fabric. High quality agricultural spunbond non-woven fabric will gradually degrade in the soil (usually 6-24 months). When transplanting plants, they can be buried in the soil together with the bag to avoid damage to the roots during the bagging process.
For large-scale seedling transplantation, this characteristic is too important – traditional plastic bags must be removed, and a slight mistake can tear off newly sprouted roots; After the non-woven fabric root bag is directly buried in the soil, the root system can penetrate the bag and grow naturally, greatly improving the survival rate.
4. Strong chemical stability, not afraid of fertilizers and pesticides
During the process of plant maintenance, it is inevitable to come into contact with fertilizers and pesticides, and ordinary materials may be corroded and deteriorated. However, spunbond non-woven fabric has excellent chemical resistance and strong tolerance to acid, alkali, and organic solvents. It will not degrade faster due to contact with fertilizers, nor will it release harmful substances to pollute the soil.
Which scenarios are particularly suitable for using spunbond non-woven fabric to wrap root bags?
In fact, as long as it involves plant root protection and cultivation, it can almost come in handy, especially in these few scenarios:
Transplanting seedlings: Before transportation and planting, fruit tree seedlings and landscape seedlings are wrapped in non-woven root bags with soil balls, which can not only retain moisture but also protect the roots, increasing the survival rate of transplanting by more than 30%.
Balcony potted plant: When planting succulent, rose and other plants with easily rotten roots, it is used as an inner root bag and then covered with an outer decorative pot to solve the problem of poor drainage in traditional flower pots.
Greenhouse seedling cultivation: When cultivating vegetable seedlings and flower seedlings on a large scale, non-woven root bags can uniformly control the root growth environment, and can be directly removed from the bag during seedling emergence, with extremely high efficiency.
Slope greening: In highway slopes, mine greening and other projects, using non-woven fabric to wrap root bags to fix grass seeds and shrub seedlings can not only retain water and fertilizer, but also prevent soil erosion.
A friend who works in a nursery told me that after switching to using spunbond non-woven root bags, the transportation loss of seedlings in their base has been reduced from 20% to 5%. The cost savings each year are enough to buy more than 2000 new bags, which is actually more cost-effective.
Pay attention to these points when purchasing and using
Although spunbond nonwoven root bags have many advantages, choosing the wrong product or using the wrong method may greatly reduce the effectiveness. Share a few practical tips:
Judging by weight and thickness: The higher the weight (usually 40-100g/㎡), the better the strength and durability. Choose 40-60g for seedling cultivation, and it is recommended to choose 80g or more for long-term outdoor use.
Check breathability: Hold it up and look at it in front of the light, you can see even micropores. It feels soft but has bones when touched by hand, not the kind of inferior product that can be easily torn by pulling.
According to the size of the plant, small bags of 10 × 15cm should be used for small seedlings, and large bags of 30 × 50cm or more should be selected for large seedlings. The recommended height of the bag body is 1.5 times the diameter to provide sufficient growth space for the root system.
Don’t miss this step when using: Cut a few small holes at the bottom of the bag before filling it with soil (although it is breathable, punching more holes can accelerate drainage), gently compact it after filling to avoid gaps inside the bag.
Additionally, it should be noted that not all non-woven fabrics are biodegradable. When purchasing, be sure to identify the words “biodegradable agricultural spunbond non-woven fabric“, especially when used in ecological restoration and other scenarios, and avoid choosing products made from non biodegradable industrial waste.
Finally, I want to say
The root system of a plant is like the digestive system of a person, only by eating well and breathing well can it grow strong. The spunbond non-woven root bag may seem like a small item, but it solves multiple pain points in traditional planting through material innovation.
If you are also troubled by plant root problems, you may want to try this “breathable root bag” – it may just be a small matter of changing the bag, but it can make your flowers, plants, and trees grow more vigorously. After all, for plants, a comfortable root environment is more effective than any amount of fertilizer.
What useful plant care tools have you used? Welcome to share your experience in the comment section~
Dongguan Liansheng Non woven Technology Co., Ltd. was established in May 2020. It is a large-scale non-woven fabric production enterprise integrating research and development, production, and sales. It can produce various colors of PP spunbond non-woven fabrics with a width of less than 3.2 meters from 9 grams to 300 grams.
Post time: Aug-06-2025