Abstract: This paper designed different irrigation intensity to form different soil and tissue water content, then investigated the regulation mechanisms of clonal growth from tissue water content. The results showed that the water content of the soil increased constantly, while the tissue water content increased at first and then decreased. Its clonal growth parameters rose perpendicularly with tissue water content increasing. However, its clonal growth parameters increased at first and decreased later with irrigation intensity (soil water content) increasing. So, the tissue water content was the direct factor regulating clonal growth ability, irrigation intensity and soil water content were indirect factors that regulated clonal growth ability. Therefore, with the tissue water content increasing at beginning and then decreasing, the clonal growth of H. rhamnoides will form the foraging pattern continuum of 'guerrilla-phalanx-guerrilla'.