The availability of phosphorus (P) in soils will ultimately determine forest productivity because of increasing P limitation in terrestrial ecosystems. However, it is still unclear how and to what extent of different plant Pacquisition strategies affect soil P cycling in the subalpine ecosystems. Here, bulk soils (BS) and rhizosphere soils (RS) under Abies fabri and Rhododendron decorum were respectively collected in the early-, mid- and late-growing seasons in a subalpine forest of eastern Tibetan Plateau, and low molecular weight organic acids, microbial biomass P and P fractions were analyzed to decipher the effects of the plants on soil P availability. The P fractions in both BS and RS showed a distinct difference between A. fabri and R. decorum because of their different P acquisition strategies. The ericoid mycorrhiza-associated R. decorum sequestered soil available P through organic P mineralization, while the ectomycorrhizal mycorrhiza-associated A. fabri directly or indirectly acquired both the organic and inorganic P pools. Seasonal variations in soil available P further revealed that the difference in the P acquisition by the two species was closely associated with their growing stages. Inorganic P dissolution by citric acid determined available P supply for A. fabri in the mid-growing season, while organic P mineralization contributed to available P for R. decorum in the early-growing season. Our results indicate that mycorrhizal types and plant growing stages drive plant P acquisition, which results in the coexistence patterns of different species in the same habitat.