Rusty nails - truth or myth
Katfish
Posts: 56
I found some rusty nails in the soil whilst digging out some nettles. I know how they got there. A family member was 'helping' a few years ago and knocked a jar of nails into the compost bin. Rather than picking them out or mentioning it he covered them up with compost. I didn't noticed until the compost was spread on the soil. I picked most out but obviously missed some.
My question is whether rusty nails can be good for soil? In particular whether iron can leach out of them into the soil? If so, would it be beneficial to grow iron rich plants in the soil where the nails have been (spinach for example)?
I've looked on the internet but there's nothing convincing either way. So I'd rather know if anyone has any experience of it and whether you found it to benefit the plants at all?
If it does benefit the soil I wonder too if the nettles have already taken the added nutrients anyway.
Posts
No idea, but if you want a soil full of rusty nails then come and dig in our garden. We find them every time we cultivate, mostly hand made ones from pre-industrial nail making days. You can tell as they are triangular rather than round.
Think Christine Walkden did something about this in her mythbusters slot during Chelea TV coverage. She said plants absorbing iron from rusty nails was a myth. She also said they wouldn't turn Hydrangeas blue which was also a myth. Hope I've remembered this correctly, I'm sure someone will jump in if I haven't
All our ,well both, our Hydrangea macrophylla types are pink despite the presence of nails.