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In order to examine the ecological effects of planting grass in kiwifruit orchards in Shiyan, Hubei Province, we selected two kiwifruit orchards located in Changpingtang and Gaoling villages as study sites. We assessed the effects of two grass planting methods, namely, artificial and natural grass planting, and selected white clover and ryegrass as artificial grass types. The effects of artificial and natural grass planting on soil nutrients, weed species and quantity, and fruit yield and quality were compared and analyzed. The results showed that compared with natural grass planting, artificial grass planting could effectively reduce the number and quantity of weed species, particularly in response to planting white clover. It also increased the contents of soil organic matter, alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium in the two kiwifruit orchards, and reduced the pH value of alkaline soil. Furthermore, of the two artificial grass types assessed, ryegrass was found to have a better effect on reducing soil pH than white clover. However, neither of the grass planting methods had a significant effect with respect to improving soil temperature, or fruit yield and quality, although artificial grass planting was found to significantly increase soil humidity in the Gaoling kiwifruit orchard（P<0.05）. With an extension of planting time, planting ryegrass clearly increased the contents of soil alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium. The findings of this study revealed that compared with planting natural grass and white clover, planting ryegrass was more suitable for kiwifruit orchards in Shiyan, Hubei Province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]