Microbial inoculants can help restore abandoned mines by improving plant growth and soil nutrients. In a recent experiment, adding microbial inoculants to soil increased alfalfa growth significantly. The interaction between plants, native microorganisms, and microbial inoculants was studied, showing that they work together to enhance soil multifunctionality. Unsterilized plants treated with microbial inoculants had the highest soil multifunctionality increase of 260%. This means that plants and native microorganisms boost the positive effects of microbial inoculants.