The invention provides a water-saving irrigation method. The water-saving irrigation method comprises the following steps that 1, in the period of seedling establishment, the irrigation upper limit is 20 mm field surface water layer, and the rain storage upper limit is 35-50 mm filed surface water depth; 2, in the tillering stage, when the soil water-burying depth sandy soil is 60 mm, the loam soil is 80mm and the clay soil is 100 mm, the water irrigation layer is 10-20 mm; the rain storage upper limit is 70-85 mm field surface water depth; 3, in the elongation stage, when the soil water-burying depth sandy soil is 120 mm, the loam soil is 180 mm and the clay soil is 200 mm, the water irrigation layer is 10-20 mm; the rain storage upper limit is 180-200 mm field surface water depth; 4, in the ear growing period, when the soil water-burying depth sandy soil is 100 mm, the loam soil is 120 mm and the clay soil is 140 mm, the water irrigation layer is 10-20 mm; the rain storage upper limit is 220-250 mm field surface water depth; 5, in the period of heading to flowering, when the soil water-burying depth sandy soil is 70 mm, the loam soil is 90 mm and the clay soil is 110 mm, and the water irrigation layer is 10-20 mm; the rain storage upper limit is 110-140 mm field surface water depth; 6, in the yellow ripening stage, natural soil drying is allowed, and no water irrigation is conducted. The water-saving irrigation method is simple, practical and reliable, is easily grasped by farmers, and can be applied to large-scale production.