[Objective] Analyzing the relationships between plant growth and precipitation, soil water and groundwater in order to provide the scientific basis for vegetation restoration and protection in desertification control.[Methods] We collected precipitation, soil water, groundwater, vegetation biomass and coverage data baseed on long-term locating monitoring in the middle reaches of Hehe river basin. The characteristic parameter algorithm, correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the response characteristics of natural desert plant growth and inter-annual and annual variation of soil water content.[Results] (1) The change of soil moisture content, biomass and coverage was the greatest, the change of precipitation was secondary, while the change of groundwater depth was minimum. The biomass and coverage showed an obvious increasing fluctuation trend, while the precipitation, soil moisture content and groundwater depth showed a slight decreasing trend. (2) In the growing season from March to November, the annual variation of soil moisture content in each layer were basically the same, and so were the variations of average vegetation coverage and biomass. (3) The regression equations were established to model the relationship between soil moisture content at 0-20 cm depth and vegetation cover and biomass. R fitting test, F test, t test was used. The partial regression coefficient for vegetation coverage and biomass was 99.0% and 91.4%, respectively. The accuracy of predicted changes in vegetation coverage and biomass was 86.5% and 78.9%, respectively.[Conclusion] There is a close relationship between the growth of desert vegetation and changes of environment water in middle reaches of Heihe river. Consequently, desert vegetation can be recovered by water resources management, and water resources management can be assessed according to the vegetation growing condition.