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This dataset reports results on seedling growth and survival for two hyphal exclusion experiments in a subtropical forest. The data include survival status, height, total biomass and the biomass of component plant parts, percentage root colonisation by mycorrhizas, for tree seedlings of ten common species including five ectomycorrhizal (ECM) and five arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) species, which were transplanted in the in-growth cores with windows covering different sizes of nylon meshes (35 vs. 0.5 µm). The dataset provides raw data on growth and survival metrics for each seedling, plus identifying codes for the dominant sites where the experiments were conducted, as well as experimental block, mesh treatment, botanical names for the tree species, and mycorrhizal type. The data were entered into Excel spreadsheets and exported as comma separated value files (csv). Study area - the Heishiding Nature Reserve (111°53’E, 23°27’N, 150-927 m a.s.l.) in Guangdong Province of south China. Mesh-walled cores were assembled from 16 cm diameter × 30 cm deep PVC piping, perforated with six 8-cm-diameter windows which were regularly distributed along the side with three of them at the depth of 4-12 cm and the other three at 16-24 cm. The cores were lined with 35 µm or 0.5 µm nylon mesh (Plastok Associates Ltd, Birkenhead, UK) to cover the bottom and the windows, which was attached using transparent superglue (Pattex(R), Henkel Adhesives Ltd., Shantou, China). Nylon mesh with a pore size of 35 µm excludes roots of neighboring plants, but allows mycorrhizal hyphae access to the transplanted seedlings; while cores with a 0.5 µm mesh exclude both fine roots and hyphae, with only free-living soil microorganisms passing through. We then covered the sides and the bottoms of all cores with 2 mm nylon mesh, to prevent soil fauna damaging the smaller size meshes.