Brachythecium plumosum is one of the dominant moss species widely distributed in the lithophytic bryophyte crusts on the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains. Identifying the influencing factors for its artificial cultivation and restoration is the primary prerequisite for carrying out ecological restoration of bryophyte crusts on rocky slopes. Based on the indoor incubator experiments, under the treatments of four substrates including Akadama soil, volcanic rock, medical stone, and perlite, this study dynamically observed the physical and chemical properties of the substrates and the growth indicators of Brachythecium plumosum, and explored the impact of substrate types on the growth and development of Brachythecium plumosum. The results showed that: (1) The incubator environment could enable the rapid cultivation and propagation of Brachythecium plumosum. After 32 days of cultivation, stable bryophyte crusts were formed in all treatments, with the best growth performance observed in those cultivated using volcanic rock substrate. (2) The growth and development of Brachythecium plumosum were significantly affected by the physical and chemical properties of the substrates. The number and the length of new branches of Brachythecium plumosum were positively correlated with the substrate bulk density, total phosphorus and water-holding porosity, and negatively correlated with the total porosity and air permeability porosity of the substrate. The coverage of Brachythecium plumosum bryophyte crust was significantly positively correlated with the pH and water-holding porosity of the substrate, and significantly negatively correlated with the air-water ratio, available potassium, organic matter, nitrate nitrogen and total nitrogen of the substrate. The element absorption and utilization efficiency of Brachythecium plumosum were significantly affected by the physical and chemical properties of the substrates, and under all substrate treatments, the growth and development of Brachythecium plumosum were limited by phosphorus availability. (3) The influence of different physical and chemical factors of the substrates on the growth and development of Brachythecium plumosum were different. The top five factors with interpretation rates for the growth indicators of Brachythecium plumosum were: total nitrogen > air-water ratio > organic matter > air permeability porosity > available potassium; the top five factors with interpretation rates for the total variation of element contents and their stoichiometric values of Brachythecium plumosum plants were: available potassium > nitrate nitrogen > organic matter > total nitrogen > air-water ratio. During the process of artificially cultivating Brachythecium plumosum, the substrate types, and their physical and chemical properties were factors that could not be ignored. In terms of the absorption and utilization efficiency of nutrient elements of Brachythecium plumosum, the chemical properties of the substrate have a higher weight of influence than the physical properties, and volcanic rock could be used as an ideal substrate for the rapid indoor cultivation of Brachythecium plumosum from the Qinling Mountains.