Salinization of soil is a major limiting factor for sustainable development of irrigated agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions. At present, the majority of comparative studies suggest that a plant-assisted approach is more effective in ameliorating soil salinization. Cultivation of salt-tolerant plants improves physical properties of salt-affected soil due to penetration and extrusion of extensive and thick root systems of plants, which promote leaching of salts from top to deeper soil layers. Furthermore, due to physiological activities of plant roots, there is a marked difference in physical and chemical properties of soils between the rhizosphere soil and bulk soil. Based on a background of calcareous salt-affected soil in the irrigated region of Qingwangchuan, Gansu, a pot experiment with rhizobag was carried out for five salt-tolerant plant species to investigate the coupling effect of leaching and plant cultivation on salt-affected soil and to compare the changes of the dynamics of salt ions in the rhizosphere and bulk soils at different plant growth stages. Results indicated that soil pH was not influenced by leaching alone compared to initial soil pH before plants were grown, but leaching and plant cultivation combined significantly decreased soil pH, resulting in lower pH in rhizosphere soil than in bulk soil. Reduction in soil pH in the rhizosphere of Zygophyllum xanthoxylum was the highest among the five salt-tolerant plant species, by up to 0.6 units, whereas in the rhizosphere of Medicago sativa cv. Xinjiangdaye, pH was reduced to a smallest extent, by only 0.25 units. The enrichment with K⁺, Ca²⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl^-, SO₄^2-, and HCO^-₃ varied greatly in the rhizosphere soil of the five salt-tolerant plants. The enrichment levels were dependent on plant species and fluctuated as incubation days increased. Combining leaching with plant cultivation was more efficient in salt reduction than using leaching alone. Thus concentrations of six major salt ions in both control soil (soil without plants) and soils cultivated with five plant species significantly decreased with the extension of incubation days and leaching times. After 120 days of cultivation, total concentrations of six major salt ions in the control soil were reduced by 51.5%, whereas those in the treated soils were reduced by 77.7% compared to those in the soils before plants were grown. Among them, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Cl^-, and SO₄^2- concentrations in soils exposed to leaching alone were reduced on average by 33.3%, 26.1%, 35.6%, 32.5%, 35.5%, and 36.3% compared to those in soils before plants were grown. The concentrations of these cations and anions that were absorbed by plants accounted for 46.2%, 8.1%, 30.2%, 7.2%, and 21.6% respectively. Among the cultivated plants, Zygophyllum xanthoxylum removed more salt ions than other plants, whereas the cation and anion concentrations in soils with leaching and plant cultivation combined were reduced on average by 67.25%, 63.73%, 83.8%, 67.5%, 81.55%, and 78.46% compared to those in soils before plants were grown. Therefore, leaching and plant cultivation combined were more efficient than leaching alone in significantly reducing the main salt ions in salinized soil such as Na⁺, Cl^- and SO₄². The analyses showed that of total reduction of Cl^-, SO₄^2- and Na⁺ about 37.73% of Na⁺, 38.22% of Cl^-, and 35.14% of SO₄^2- were derived from the physical and chemical mechanisms caused by plant roots.