[Objective] The variation of temperature and water content in a quicksand surface layer under different protective measures and their influencing mechanisms were investigated in order to provide a theoretical basis for vegetation restoration in a desert area. [Methods] Field tests were carried out to examine five protective measures (single pipe protection, pipe coated with reflective film, pipe wall opening, pipe covered with straw, and double-pipe protection), three pipe diameters (75, 90, 110 mm), and three open field heights (10, 15, 20 cm). The unprotected quicksand surface was used as the control. The diurnal variation characteristics of surface soil temperature and water content were measured using a soil temperature and water content recorder in the quicksand surface layer. [Results] The five protective measures contributed significantly to the cooling effect, with double-tube protection showing the best cooling effect. Under the same protective measures, the surface layer temperature of the pipe interior increased with increasing pipe diameter at 06:00 am, and decreased with increasing pipe diameter at other times. The surface layer temperature of the pipe interior decreased with increasing open ground height during the entire day. The surface layer temperature of the inner tube increased with the surface layer temperature of the quicksand surface layer. Additionally, there was a strong linear relationship between the surface layer temperatures of the inner tube and the quicksand (R² ≥ 0.830). Irrigation cooled the surface layer during the daytime (06:00-21:00) and preserved heat during the nighttime (21:00-06:00). Furthermore, there existed a coupling effect between the surface layer water content and the temperature inside the pipe. This result signified that the higher the surface layer water content, the lower the temperature. [Conclusion] Double-pipe protection and irrigation were found to be the most beneficial to temperature control and water conservation in the surface layer of quicksand. The optimum pipe parameters were a pipe diameter of 110 mm and an open field height of 20 cm.