Soil water infiltration has always been associated with root architecture. In this study, we used dye infiltration experiments and HYDRUS-1D to quantify the effects of different root architectures on the dynamic of soil water infiltration, volumetric water content, and soil water pressure head. The results provide evidence that root channels acted as preferential flow paths for the infiltration and percolation into the soil. Maize fibrous roots, rubber trees fine roots, and Spartina alterniflora smooth roots easily penetrated the plough layer of the agricultural soil, the hard soil layer of the forest site, and the alternating sandy and mud layers of the intertidal zone, respectively. The initial and final infiltration rates were significantly different between the rooted and rootless soil profiles. The root-induced infiltration events lowered the propagation time of the wetting front across the rooted soil profile by 33%–113% than the rootless soil; and the volumetric water content of the saturated zone increased by 12%–19% in the rooted soil profile relative to the rootless soil. Furthermore, the soil water pressure head increased from negative (i.e. unsaturated) to positive (i.e. saturated) in the saturated soil. This change was more pronounced in maize fibrous root soil, but less pronounced in the rubber fine roots or the S. alterniflora smooth root soil. As a result, indicate that the downward movement, volumetric water content, and soil water pressure head were higher in the rooted soil than the rootless soil profiles, and the degree of roots effects depended on the roots architecture, soil hardness, and soil layer configuration. The findings provide evidence that root channels can act as preferential flow paths for the water infiltration and percolation of water into the soil.