Large-scale vegetation restoration measures have significantly changed the surface material and water cycle characteristics of hydrological ecosystems in arid regions, and the increased water consumption due to revegetation poses a major challenge to the sustainable utilization of water resources. Salix psammophila, as a typical dominant plant in Mu Us Sandy Land, was selected as the revegetaion material. In-situ monitoring experiments of single plant in bare land and Salix psammophila land was carried out to investigate the water consumption characteristics and soil water balance of Salix psammophila during three consecutive complete growth cycles from 2016 to 2018. The results show that Salix psammophila had different root water uptake strategies at different stand ages in response to rainfall, soil water and groundwater. Annual Salix psammophila mainly used soil water, whereas biennial and triennial Salix psammophila mainly lived on groundwater, but due to the stagnation and decline of growth of triennial Salix psammophila, its consumption of groundwater was less than that of biennial Salix psammophila. At the same time, Salix psammophila was capable of regulating part of the water source to the surface soil water replenished by precipitation in the rainy season. In Salix psammophila Land, evapotranspiration was 1.7~2.3 times of rainfall, therefore rainfall infiltration could not offset the soil water deficit caused by vegetation consumption, which might induce the risk of groundwater depletion. Our results can provide a direct reference for policy-making of sustainable ecological restoration in arid and semiarid regions.