Background The excavation of mineral resources has formed a large number of rock slopes, the rock surface is exposed and severely weathered, with serious soil erosion and inducing a series of ecological and environmental disasters such as geological disasters in mines.Good ecological substrate can well suppress soil erosion and restore the ecological environment.

Methods In order to prepare an ecological substrate with good plant growth performance, strong soil and water conservation ability and suitable for ecological restoration of rocky steep slopes in alpine regions, the ecological slope protection base materials with different proportions were used by field base experiment, trolley slope simulation test and multi factor orthogonal test. In order to better conform to the on-site construction process, the substrate layer was divided into structural layer and surface layer to carry out plant performance research respectively. Through comprehensive seed germination rate and plant growth, the plantation performance of the substrate was evaluated.

Results The extremely poor analysis found that when the pottery grains and walnut shell particles in the substrate structure layer were 7.50 g each, the grain husks and straw nodes of 2.50 g and 1.25 g respectively, the EPS of 0.10 g, the soil conditioner PAM of 1.50 g, and the water retention agent took 0.50 g, the plantation performance of the substrate structural layer was the best. The primary and secondary relationship of the influenc on the growth of tall fescue in the structural layer substrate was: ceramsite, walnut shell>soil conditioner PAM>chaff, straw>EPS>water retaining agent. When the straw was 2.50 g, the chaff was 7.50 g, the EPS was 0.30 g, the soil conditioner PAM was 0.40 g, and the water retaing agent was 0.20 g, the planting performance of the substrate surface was the best. The primary and secondary relationship of the influence on the growth of tall fescue in the surface layer substrate was: straw >water retaining agent>chaff>soil conditioner PAM>EPS.

Conclusions Through the experimental study of the planting performance of ecological slope protection substrates, it provides an ecological slope protection substrate with simple preparation process, excellent plant growth performance andstrong soil and water conservation ability for the ecological restoration and water and soil conservation of rock steep slopes in alpine and altitude mines, and provides technical support for the ecological environment restoration of rock slopes in Northwest Yunnan.