[Objective] Soil moisture under different land use patterns were measured and its links with the characteristics of plant communities were studied to provide guidance for the vegetation restoration and rehabilitation. [Methods] Based on field investigation, mathematical analysis was used. [Results] The aboveground dry biomass of main vegetation in Zhifanggou watershed ranged from 310.0 to 10036.2 g/m² among ten land use types, and the mean aboveground dry biomass ranked as: forest land >shrub land >farmland >artificial grassland>natural grassland. There was a significant positive correlation between aboveground fresh biomass and vegetation height(R²=0.967 4, p<0.01). Soil moisture in 0-100 cm of different land use types had high content and varied greatly. Comparatively, the soil moisture content in 100-500 cm was nearly constant. The amount of most easily available soil moisture in check-dam and terrace with Z. mays planted were 221.73 mm and 221.99 mm, respectively. The soil moistures in C. korshinskii and R. pseudoacacia were extremely low, with hardly-available soil moisture contents of 311.44 mm and 333.09 mm, respectively. Soil moistures in the other six land use types were classified as easily-moderately available soil moisture. [Conclusion] In the loess hilly region, all vegetation types, to a certain extent, can improve local ecological environment, but some artificial forest and shrub can lead to the excessive consumption of deep soil moisture, and are not propitious to the sustainable development of vegetation.