A mathematical model is developed describing moisture removal from soil by the roots of transpiring plants. The model uses a macroscopic extraction term in the one‐dimensional soil moisture flow equation. It describes both moisture removal by the plant and induced moisture movement through the soil. A numerical procedure based on the Douglas‐Jones predictor‐corrector method is used to solve the model, and solutions are compared with experimental data. The results indicate that extraction term models are computationally and physically feasible and give insight into the mechanics of the overall moisture extraction process.