Abstract: In order to explore the hydraulic characteristics of soil slope installed with vertical geotextile belts and plants,one-dimensional soil column test was designed and carried out. Under the condition of drying-wetting cycle,the development of surface cracks in the slope soil was observed,and the hydraulic characteristics such as volume moisture content and suction of slope soil were monitored. It is found that in the process of drying,evapotranspiration can promote the development of cracks on the surface of soil,and the depth and width of cracks increase with the number of drying and wetting cycles. The suction increment caused by evapotranspiration of the vegetated slope model with vertical geotextile belts is greater than that of the vegetated slope. It seems that under rainfall the vertical geotextile belts may become the obvious inflow channels and lead to more suction loss. Therefore,it is necessary to compact the surface slope soil around the vertical geotextile belts,so as to reduce the infiltration along the vertical geotextile belts under rainfall,and make sure that the vertical geotextile belts play as a role of the extended root.