Weed control is a critical, time-consuming and labor-intensive task in orchard management. Weeds not only compete with fruit trees for soil moisture, nutrients, and sunlight, but also serve as breeding grounds for pests and diseases, impacting fruit yield and quality. For a long time, fruit farmers have relied on manual, chemical, or mechanical weed control to address weed problems. However, these methods are either costly and inefficient, or carry risks such as pesticide residue and soil damage. Now, a product known as the “invisible guardian” of orchards—non-woven weed control sheet—is revolutionizing orchard weed control with its high weed control efficiency and labor-saving advantages. According to practical data, it can save fruit farmers 60% of their annual weed control labor costs, making it a new option for green and efficient orchard management.
What is non-woven weed control sheet? Why has it become such a powerful weed control tool?
Non-woven weed control fabric, also known as garden weed control fabric or ground cover, is made from polymers such as polypropylene and polyester, or natural plant fibers, through processes such as spunbonding and needle punching. It boasts a certain degree of breathability and water permeability. Compared to traditional plastic weed control films, it not only retains its core function of physically blocking weed growth, but also offers improved environmental performance and practicality.
The weed control mechanism is simple: once laid on the orchard surface, the weed control fabric forms a dense “physical barrier,” blocking weed seeds from receiving sunlight and inhibiting weed germination. Simultaneously, its loose fiber structure allows soil moisture and air to penetrate normally, meeting the root growth needs of fruit trees, while effectively preventing weed roots from penetrating the fabric. This “water and fertilizer permeability, weed-proofing” feature allows for long-term, stable weed control without frequent maintenance, effectively reducing the need for manual weeding.
Save 60% on Labor Annually: The Efficiency Revolution Behind It
Manual weeding is the most common method in traditional orchards, but it’s extremely inefficient. For example, a one-acre apple orchard requires manual weeding once a week during the spring weed germination period, and every three to four days in the summer when rainfall is plentiful. This adds up to 50 to 80 hours of labor annually. If manual labor were employed, the annual weeding cost per acre would be as high as 2,000 to 3,000 yuan. Using non-woven weed control mats completely changes this situation. Their core advantage lies in “one-time installation, long-term peace of mind”:
First, once installed, the weed control mats remain effective for three to five years, eliminating the need for repeated weeding. Fruit farmers only need to ensure the cloth is flat and securely fastened to the edges during installation. Subsequent inspections are only required once or twice a year to repair minor damage caused by wind and farm operations. This reduces annual weeding hours to 15-20 hours, directly reducing labor costs by over 60%.
Secondly, it eliminates the need for additional labor for chemical weed control. Traditional management requires manual clearing of tall weeds before spraying herbicides, as well as post-spray monitoring and re-spraying of missed areas. Non-woven weed control completely replaces chemical weed control, eliminating these additional labor costs and reducing the risk of pesticide contamination of the soil and fruit.
Furthermore, it indirectly reduces labor costs for other farm operations. Covering the orchard with weed control cloth creates a smoother surface, eliminating the need for workers to navigate through weeds during fruit picking, fertilizing, and pruning, improving operational efficiency by over 20%. Furthermore, the reduction in weeds reduces the incidence of pests and diseases, reducing the labor and pesticide costs associated with pest control.
More Than Just Labor Savings: The Multiple Benefits of Non-Woven Weed Control Sheets
Beyond its core labor-saving advantage, non-woven weed control sheets can also play multiple roles in orchard management, safeguarding fruit tree growth and fruit quality, achieving multiple goals at once:
(I) Water and Fertilizer Retention, Helping Increase Fruit Tree Yields
Non-woven weed control sheets can reduce soil evaporation, especially in arid areas, increasing soil moisture by 15%-20%, reducing irrigation frequency. Furthermore, by suppressing weeds, nutrients in the soil are not consumed by weeds, allowing fruit trees to more fully absorb nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, increasing fertilizer utilization by approximately 30%. In apple orchards in Yantai, Shandong, using weed control sheets increased fruit weight by an average of 15 grams per fruit, yield per mu by 10%-15%, and fruit sweetness by 1-2 degrees of brix. (2) Regulating Ground Temperature to Adapt to the Growth Cycle of Fruit Trees
Weed control cloth has certain thermal insulation properties: in spring, it can raise ground surface temperatures by 2-3°C, accelerating budding and flowering by 3-5 days and extending the fruit growth cycle. In summer, it reflects some sunlight, lowering ground surface temperatures by 5-8°C, preventing excessive soil temperatures from burning fruit tree roots. In winter, it also reduces heat loss from the soil, protecting roots safely overwintering. This “warm in winter, cool in summer” property is particularly suitable for temperature-sensitive fruit trees such as peaches, cherries, and citrus.
(3) Improving Soil and Enhancing Long-Term Fertility
Compared to traditional plastic weed control films, non-woven weed control cloth is more environmentally friendly: made of biodegradable materials, it naturally decomposes into organic matter after 3-5 years, replenishing soil nutrients. Even non-degradable types have a breathable structure that maintains the soil’s aggregate structure, preventing soil compaction caused by plastic film coverings. After long-term use, orchard soil air permeability and fertilizer retention capacity have significantly improved, laying the foundation for sustained high fruit tree yields.
(IV) Reduce Pests and Diseases, Lower Management Costs
Weeds are the primary habitat for pests such as aphids, spider mites, and borers, and are also vectors for diseases like powdery mildew and anthracnose. Non-woven weed control cloth eliminates weeds, a “breeding ground for pests and diseases,” reducing the incidence of pests and diseases in orchards by 40%-50%. This reduces the number of pesticide applications, not only lowering labor and pesticide costs but also improving the “green quality” of the fruit, making it more popular in the market.
Orchard Practice: Proven Results in Multiple Applications
Currently, non-woven weed control cloth has been widely adopted in major orchards in my country, including apple, citrus, grape, and kiwifruit. Fruit farmers across the country have received very positive feedback, making it a standard product for high-yield orchards. In a kiwifruit orchard in Weinan, Shaanxi, farmer Mr. Li did the math: “In the past, weeding one acre of land required hiring workers six to eight times a year, costing over 2,500 yuan in wages alone. In 2022, we installed non-woven weed control sheets, costing 1,200 yuan. We haven’t had to weed in two years, and the labor savings have more than covered the cost. Furthermore, the kiwifruit are larger and sweeter than before, resulting in an increase of 0.5 yuan per kilo in the purchase price.”
In a citrus orchard in Guilin, Guangxi, the orchard manager explained: “We have 500 acres of mandarin oranges. Weeding used to take 10 workers a week in the summer. Now that we’ve installed weed control sheets, only two people need to check on them each year. The freed-up labor can be used for pruning and fertilizing, resulting in better fruit quality. Furthermore, weed control sheets retain water. During last year’s drought, the plots without weed control sheets required three waterings, while the plots with weed control sheets only needed one, saving us a significant amount of water costs.”
In a vineyard in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, weed control sheets have also solved… Grapevines are plagued by weeds. Farmer Ms. Wang explained, “Before, the weeds under the vines grew taller than the vines, and manual weeding easily damaged the vines. With weed control cloth, the area around the vines remains clean, making picking easier. Grape bunches are free of weed contamination and appear more marketable.”
Future Outlook: From “Weed Control” to “Multi-Functional”
With the evolving needs of orchard management, non-woven weed control cloth is also evolving towards multi-functionality, providing even greater value to fruit growers. For example, weed control and insect repellent cloths are being developed, incorporating natural insect repellent ingredients (such as peppermint essential oil and mugwort extract) to further reduce pests and diseases. Weed control cloths are being developed with a biodegradable and slow-release fertilizer combination, which slowly releases nutrients during degradation, achieving “weed control and fertilization all in one go.” Weed control cloths are even being embedded with IoT technology to monitor soil conditions in real time, providing data support for precise orchard management.
At the same time, policies are also promoting the widespread use of weed control cloths. Some regions have included non-woven weed control cloth in their “Green Agricultural Development Subsidy” program, offering subsidies of 100-200 yuan per mu for large-scale orchard installations, reducing farmers’ initial investment costs. We believe that driven by both technological innovation and policy support, non-woven weed control cloth will evolve from an “invisible guardian of the orchard” to a “good helper in smart agriculture,” helping more fruit farmers achieve “labor savings, increased production, and improved quality,” and driving my country’s orchard management towards green, efficient, and sustainable development.
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: Oct-08-2025