Inoculation may influence mycorrhizal colonization and provide benefits to plants in restoration projects. However, it is unclear weather inoculation has consistent effects across ecosystem types, if it has long-term effects on colonization, and whether sources of inocula differ in their effectiveness. To address these issues, we performed a meta-analysis of published restoration studies across a variety of ecosystems to examine the effects of mycorrhizal inoculation on mycorrhizal establishment and plant growth under field conditions.