Hey DougMD,

Glad to hear you situation has come together.

I'm sure you've been researching your options, and you've likely already come to the conclusion that with a Ph under 4.5, your options are quite limited.

You will find that you really have no options for perenials like clover, at this Ph, oats and rye can do somewhat, but will also be severely limited growth. You'll also find that it takes a decent amount of lime, and time to work, to change the Ph very much. If you are familiar with Ph, you know that every point change is 10 times less acidic than the previous. In other words, to change the soil from 3.7 to even 5.7 (still to0 low for very good clover), you need to reduce the acidity by 100 times (10x10). It takes time for this to happen. The good news is that if your soil is sandy, you likely have less acid in reserve, than say a clay type soil, and it will not require the 10 tons of lime per acre (more likely 6) that it could.

No field has a homogeneous Ph. For this reason, I'd reccomend that you plant rye this season. The growth of the annual will help to loosen the soil, and provide some forage for the deer. More importantly, its inexpensive, and will provide you with the knowledge you need to see which areas of the field are the most acidic, or otherwise lacking in nutrients. It simply will not grow well in the worst sections. This "visual" ph indicator of the field will allow you to know which areas to concentrate on first, when liming.

Also, lime as soon as you can, it will take 3-6 months to have much effect on the soil.

Good luck, let us know how you make out.