The photosynthesis, chlorophyll content and the growth traits of the clonal tea seedling grown under various substrates with different water content under the greenhouse were compared. The new biomass reaching their maximum values in the substrate with 80%~100% relative substrate water content, root mass ratio (RMR) decreased with the increase of water content of substrate, while the content of chlorophyll, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf area ratio (LAR), root emerging rate of the plant and specific root length (SRL) increased as the water content of substrate increased. The maximum photosynthetic rate (Pnmax) and new biomass increased as the water content of substrate increased, reaching their maximum values at 70%~100% water content of substrate. Content of chlorophyll increased with the rise of relative water content of substrate, while the ratio of chlorophyll a/b decreased with the substrate water content of substrate. Lower substrate water content can expedite the growth of tea seedling after rootage.