Ordering ground cover for a whole block comes down to two numbers: the weight and the width. The weight sets what the cloth will survive, and on commercial ground that means foot traffic, sprayer wheels and the drag of equipment rather than the weeds. The width sets how many drops the block needs and therefore how many joins there are to keep closed. This grade runs from 70 to 200 gsm in 100% PP with UV stabiliser in the yarn, in widths from 0.4 m to 6 m, so a row, an aisle or a bay can be covered in one drop. It is permeable, so water and air still reach the soil.
Most cover gets bought the way it was bought last time, which works until the block changes. When the area goes up, or machinery starts running down an aisle that used to be walked, the grade that was fine stops being fine. Two numbers settle it, and both are easier to fix at the quotation stage than after the rolls have been delivered.
The weight is the first decision and it is a traffic decision rather than a weed one. On ground that is only walked, the lighter end of the range does the job and is easier to handle when the block is being rearranged. Where a sprayer, a barrow or a tractor crosses the cloth, the heavier end is the one that survives, because what destroys a cover in that situation is scuffing along the edge and punctures from dragged equipment rather than the sun. The width is the second decision and it is a join decision: a wider roll means fewer drops, fewer overlaps and fewer places for grass to come up, which on a large block usually saves more in labour than the wider roll costs. Get those two right and the rest of the specification is routine.
The cloth covers whole field blocks, the strips along orchard rows, the aisles in a vineyard and the floor of a greenhouse where weeds come up between the benches. Crops go in through slits cut once the cloth is laid. Because the weave is permeable, rain and irrigation reach the soil rather than running off, and the soil under the cover stays workable instead of capping over. Growers raising stock on the same ground often order a planting bag alongside it, and the shade net range covers the covers that go over the crop rather than on the ground.
| Model | WB-007 |
| Material | 100% polypropylene with UV stabiliser |
| Weight | 70 to 200 gsm (2 to 6 oz per square metre) |
| Width | 0.4 m to 6 m |
| Length | Made to order |
| Colour | Black and green, or as required |
| Water and air | Permeable, passes through the weave |
| MOQ | 5000 m2 |
Weight and width look like two independent choices and they are not, because between them they decide how many fixings the job takes and how much of the block is covered by overlaps rather than by a single piece. There is also a cost argument that is easy to miss: a lighter cloth that has to be replaced after one season usually costs more than a heavier one that is lifted and relaid, once the labour of laying it twice is counted. Tear resistance is the property that sits behind that, and on commercial ground it is the edges and the fixing points where it matters, because that is where the load is applied. Where the requirement is covering the crop above ground rather than the soil, a knitted monofilament net is the better fit.
Weight, width, length and colour are made to order, and the standard minimum order quantity is 5000 m2. Delivery is quoted at around 25 days from order. Send us the block plan with the row spacing and the aisle widths, and tell us what crosses the cloth, and we will confirm the weight and the drop widths rather than leaving you to pick them off a list. Buyers tracking what is going onto commercial farmland can follow trade coverage such as HortiDaily and FreshPlaza for what growers are installing.
How do I choose the weight?
By what crosses the cloth rather than by the weeds. Walked ground suits the lighter end of the 70 to 200 gsm range; ground with barrows, sprayers or machinery on it needs the heavier end. Tell us how the block is worked.
Should I take the widest roll available?
Wider usually means fewer drops and fewer joins, which saves labour on a large area. Whether it pays depends on the block layout, so send us the plan and we will work out the drop widths.
Does the cloth have to come up between crops?
It can stay down across seasons, and it can be lifted and relaid when the ground is being worked. Tell us the rotation and we will advise on the grade.
Tell us the block plan, the row spacing and what crosses the cloth, and we will confirm the weight, the drop widths, the roll sizes and the packing that suit your order.
Mark Wu, Co-founder & Technical Director, Sichuan Zhifang Net Industry. 15 years manufacturing agricultural nettings for growers in 32 countries.
