old rusty nails

Clarification of my post about hydrangea flower color and rusting nails:
I may have gotten confused about which direction the color of hydrangea blossoms relating to pH shifts, and which direction the pH shifts in relation to rusty nails.  

It’s not quite as direct a relationship as I thought.  

First, it’s just Hydrangea macrofolia I was talking about.  Then, genetics is a factor, an individual plant may be going to bloom white, and another individual plant may have variability of flower color.  If it does, then soil pH is a factor, and bioavailability of aluminum in the soil is a factor, and iron oxide can effect the soil chemistry.

As in all biological, ecological and biochemical inter-reactions, it’s complex.  If someone does extensive experimentation and observation, I would love to know.  

I will probably remain uncertain how it works, and continue to throw the rusty nails under the hydrangeas 😊.

I once came into a bag of 3/4" nails that were not used but slightly rusty from storage, and a bit too rough to drive. I put a bunch in a plastic supplements jar with some sand and gave it a good shake. The nails came out usable.  

There is a clay in places like Africa, found in river/lake bottoms, that's very rich in iron. It has the unusual quality, when formed into bricks and dried in the sun, of behaving like fired clay.
I thought it would be fun to try mixing rust and clay and keeping the mix underwater to see if that could be replicated.

I couldn't google any link between Korean Natural Farming and rusty nails.

Thus I would lean towards not introducing this or its derivatives into soil
because there is no UNDO.

I have a bunch of nails rescued from my biochar. I just keep them in a box
and reuse them when required.

I used to read about children finding nails to pound straight and sell to
builders/carpenters. Times have sure changed. I pick up nails and screws
from the road. I have quite a collection. Some are even unused.

I have a problem with prairie dogs digging out my fence posts, as well as my garden and my pastures.  I fill the holes up and they are re-excavated in two days or less.

I am wondering if I were to mix nails and other small pieces of scrap metal into the dirt as I replace it, would it discourage them.