Definition: Soil amendments are elements added to the soil, such as compost, peat moss, or fertilizer, to improve its capacity to support plant life. While fertilizer improves soil by adding nutrients only, soil amendments such as peat moss improve soil by making its texture or drainage more conducive to plant health. Peat moss adds no nutrients to soil. Meanwhile, compost enhances soil both through adding nutrients and through improving texture and drainage. Amendments can also change soil pH.
Common Misspellings: emendments
