Large scale afforestation alleviates soil erosion effectively in North China. The water cycle has been consequently modified under plant growth and changing precipitation regimes. Soil water dynamics is critical to investigate the water cycle of planted forests under changing environment for plant restoration. In this study, multi-time scale (i.e. half-hourly, daily, monthly, and annual scales) analysis of soil water potential (SWP) was conducted based on long-term measurement of the SWP between 2014 and 2018 under 60 a and 90 a arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis) planted forests as well as weeds as a reference in Chongling catchment in the mountain area of North China. The temporal variations in vertical gradients of SWP and zero flux planes (ZFPs) were analyzed to propose the patterns of soil water movement and plant water utilization for three representative vegetation types. Results showed that the diurnal variation of the SWP appeared as a unimodal curve with a peak occurring between 13:00 and 14:00. Daily variation in the SWP of arborvitae was significantly small compared to that of weeds. Daily changes of SWP decreased with the increase of soil depth, while the declining rate was larger under 90 a arborvitae than that under 60 a arborvitae and weeds. It was evident that the SWP decreased gradually from April to June, reaching a minimum value of -305.3 cm with the standard deviation (SD) of 58.3 cm. Nevertheless, the SWP increased rapidly from July to August ((-215.7±105.9) cm) and then remained high during September to October ((-210.6±51.9) cm). The responses of SWP at different soil depths to precipitation under arborvitae at monthly and annual scale were greater than those under weeds. There was a significant linear relationship between the annual mean SWP and annual precipitation under 60 a arborvitae (P<0.05). Based on the depth distributions of SWP gradients and ZFPs in the experimental years, soil water infiltration was estimated to mainly appear at upper 50 cm depth but root hydraulic lift facilitated soil moisture moving upwards in the 50-100 cm layer under 90 a arborvitae. The soil moisture in the 0-20 cm and 70-100 cm layers as well as that in the 30-70 cm layer in dry year mainly moved upwards and were taken up by plant roots under 60 a arborvitae. Strong evaporation and root water uptake primarily occurred at the top of 20 cm for weeds, while soil water infiltrated steadily in the 20-100 cm layer. It was found that soil water storage capacity under 90 a arborvitae was stronger than that under 60 a arborvitae and weeds, as it had smaller soil bulk density and increased the saturated soil water content. The planted forest of 90 a arborvitae coexisting with weeds could reduce water competition among different species and improve the water use efficiency. Surface runoff as well as soil erosion would be further reduced in the catchment. This study demonstrated the modifications of soil water dynamics and water utilization of the representative planted forests on the basis of long-term observations and multi-time scale analysis of SWP in Chongling catchment. It provided new insights into ecological restoration and water management in North China under changing environment.