Apples are widely cultivated on the Loess Plateau due to their remarkable economic and ecological benefits. However, long-term orchard cultivation tends to induce soil desiccation and consequently form a dried soil layer. Studies have demonstrated that converting orchards back to farmland can effectively alleviate soil desiccation, whereas the optimal time required for this conversion remains unclear. Therefore, this study evaluated the suitable duration for converting deep-rooted (Apple orchard, AO) to shallow-rooted vegetation (Croplands) from an ecological and economic perspective, which included soil water storage (SWS), dried soil layers (DSL), crop water use efficiency (CWUE), soil water temporal stability and farmers" income. And the croplands converted by AO included those with conversion periods of 3, 5, and 7 years, which was abbreviated as CCA3, CCA5 and CCA7, respectively. In addition, cropland under continuous cultivation served as the control group (CL). The soil water content (SWC) in 0-10 m soil layer was measured by soil auger method between 2024 and 2025.The results showed the deep SWS followed the order: CL > CCA7 > CCA3 > CCA5 > AO, and there were no significant differences for CCA3, CCA5, and CCA7. The DSL of CCA3, CCA5, and CCA7 all disappeared. There were also no significant differences in CWUE for them. As the conversion years increased, the temporal stability of SWC increased. In addition, as the duration increased, the farmers" income significantly decreased. Therefore,three years may be the appropriate duration for converting orchards to cropland from an ecological and economic perspective. The findings of this study provide an important reference for the rational land use management on the Loess Plateau.