Large amounts the subtropical natural forests have been replaced by plantations due to deforestation in the past decades. This conversion may affect the soil water conservation functions. Plantations of local dominant trees may change soil physical structure and further alter soil water holding capacity through their biological properties, so tree selection for plantation is very important for regional water conservation. However, the heterogeneity of the studied sites made the experimental results uncertain with low reliability. To reduce this heterogeneity, a common-garden was established in a subtropical forest by planting twelve trees dominated in this area at a forest stand with the same parent material and forest management at the Sanming Research Station of Forest Ecosystem and Global Change, Fujian Province, China, in February 2012. The soil bulk densities, water contents, porosities (total, capillary and non-capillary), water holding capacities (maximum, capillary and non-capillary), and water storage capacities (maximum, capillary and non-capillary at 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-30 cm, 30-40 cm, and 40-50 cm depth) under the twelve local dominant trees were determined in August 2019. Our results showed that significant differences in bulk densities, gravimetric water contents, porosities (total, capillary and non-capillary) and water holding and storage capacities (maximum, capillary and non-capillary) among the soils planted with different trees were only observed in surface soils (0-20 cm), while there was no significant difference in deep soils (20-50 cm). Soil porosity, water holding capacity and water storage capacity (either in capillary or in non-capillary) were negatively related to soil bulk density but were positively correlated with soil water content. The soil porosities, water holding capacities and water storage capacities were greater in soils planted with Liriodendron chinense, Liquidambar formosana and Koelreuteria bipinnata after seven years of plantation compared with other plantations. These results suggest that these broadleaved trees can be planted together with Cunninghamia lanceolata and Pinus massoniana plantations during forest management for improving the water conservation functions of the humid subtropical forests in Southern China.