A soil-covering film (10), which contains an air and moisture-permeable sheet, preferably a nonwoven sheet, containing biodegradable and/or compostable fibre (12) and, optionally, binding material (14), where the binding force between the fibres reversibly weakens due to the effect of moisture.A method for protecting crops (20) against weeds (30), by a soil-covering film (10):where the soil-covering film (10) is laid out on surface of the soil (40)；the seeds (22) of the crop (20) are placed on the soil-covering film (10)；the soil-covering film (10) is kept moist until the seeds (22) located on the surface grow roots (24) and the roots (24) penetrate the soil-covering film (10).
