It is worse for Earth plants due to long term exposure to solar radiation and direct meteorite impacts. Article states that Iron in the moon soil is Fe2, while on Earth it present as Fe3. Another major difference-is silicates and glass composition on the moon. Those are formed by micro meteorite impacts and very different from earth volcano samples.

So plants in moon soil had to adapt a lot more then expected. Also difference between actual moon soil and Earth's moon soil replacement for labs is clearly visible.

You can grow plants in a can of steel bb’s, ground up gummy bears, sand, shredded beer cans, etc….

The matrix isn’t important to most plants. Just the nutrients it gets.

Any hydroponic pot grower knows this.

Does bacteria in soil play no part? It was mentioned in a Peter F Hamilton sci-fi book when talking about terraforming the world "Far Away" - no idea if the bacteria thing real or made up though!

Bacteria and fungi are an important part of soils. It's part of the reason that there are culture solutions you can purchase for gardens.

Mycorrhiza for example is very important for the growth of certain types of herbs and vegetables (and really just a large number of plants in general).

Likewise bacteria are one of the major legs of one of the major ecological processes that's essential for sustaining life on Earth (the nitrogen cycle). The bacteria in soil convert nitrogen gas from the air (which breathes into the soil) into various nitrate compounds which are then absorbed by plants' roots (this is why fertilizer often contains ammonium nitrate). Bacteria are also involved in the phosphorus cycle as well however to a lesser degree. Really micro-organisms in the soil are involved in varying degrees for each of the biogeochemical cycles that life on earth depend on.

Thank you for explaining that !

That was my question as well. But I think the article says the scientists didn't know if something in the lunar soil would actively inhibit plant growth.

It looks like the answer is no, and you can use it as an effective substrate for what is essentially a hydroponic type setup where the nutrients are all added.