The sagebrush steppe has presented increasing levels of degradation. The addition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and biochar have been suggested to restore ecosystems. However, little is known about their effects on sagebrush steppe plants. We tested three sources of AMF inoculum: soil from a disturbed site (Inoculum A), soil from an undisturbed site (Inoculum B), and commercial inoculum (Inoculum C), all with and without biochar, to test if they could mediate growth ofPseudoroegneria spicata(native perennial),Taeniatherum caput-medusae(early seral; exotic annual) andVentenata dubia(early seral; exotic annual) under greenhouse conditions. We measured AMF colonization and biomass. We hypothesized that the plant species would be differently affected by the inoculum types. The colonization ofT. caput-medusaeandV. dubiawas greatest when inoculated with Inoculum A (38.8% and 19.6%). In contrast, the colonization ofP. spicatawas greatest with Inoculum B and Inoculum C (32.1% and 32.2). Biochar decreased biomass production but increased colonization with Inoculum A forP. spicataandV. dubiaand with Inoculum C forT. caput-medusae. This study reveals the response of early and late seral sagebrush steppe grass species to contrasting sources of AMF and suggests that late seral plant species respond better to late seral inocula.