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Background and aims: Competitive vegetation in forest stands influence seedling growth by changing soil nutrient availability. However, studies on the effects of different weed control methods on seedling growth of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook.) are rare. Methods: We applied three weed control methods, comprising artificial sickle weeding (ASW), woody disc weeding (WDW), and nonwoven cloth weeding (nWCW), to explore their effect on growth of Chinese fir seedlings in a plantation in Jiangxi Province, China. Results: The weed control methods affected the shoot height and root-collar diameter of the seedlings. The contents of sugar, glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and free fatty acids in newly developed leaves were increased after ASW and nWCW treatment, and were consistent with the expression of genes associated with glucokinase, sucrose phosphate synthase, and sucrose synthase. Weeding method influenced soil properties, including pH, moisture, total nitrogen (TN), ammonium-N, nitrate-N, total phosphorus, available phosphorus, and dissolved organic carbon contents. Moisture content was the main factor that influenced the soil bacterial community and leaf nutrition. High-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16 S rRNA gene revealed that the weeding methods affected bacterial community structure. Specifically, compared with ASW and nWCW, WDW contributed to lower soil bacterial diversity, simpler bacterial interaction, and increase in pathogenic bacteria potential. Conclusions: The weeding methods differ in influence on soil bacterial community structure, soil properties, and plant growth, which are potentially useful to improve the growth of Chinese fir seedlings. ASW and nWCW strategies were recommended to be applied in the practice of weed control on seedling growth of Chinese fir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]