A neighbor of mine who also farms a piece of land miles away says that our properties there on the mountain have thin layers of soil. I already know they are of a sandy loam and real acidic (3.7 PH). I am having a guy push the trees off a 3/4 acre clearing I made about three years ago with that PH level. I want to know what to plant. I am going to have a truck lime it to over 6.0 PH, no problem. Considering the deer will likely browse away plants before they have a chance to grow much, and I have A THIN LAYER OF SANDY SOIL, what would you recommend? I like the idea of something that grows fast and comes back for at least a few years. What would you do? Nobody around has anything planted, as it is 99% wooded and the deer get only natural browse and corn some landowners put out for them.

I have asked questions on some of this before, but this is the first time I put it all together so an informed decision could be made considering all the variables from thin soil to sandy soil to highly acidic soil to high browse line area, etc. etc.

Any advice on recommended plantings would be appreciated!

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.

We do this all the time in the sandy areas of northern Michigan. LIME, LIME, LIME!!!!! We suggest that you lime off the charts. Limeing to a point is good for a year or so and then you have to go back and start over in the more well drained soils. We suggest that you lime 2-3 tons per point per acre to 7.0. This should last for 3-5 years or more. In your case you will need to lime at 10 tons an acre.... I know, it's a lot, and most folks use the upper level to lime a plot at 5 tons an acre, but you'll be glad you did.
Disk the area up and lime. Then, float disk the lime into the soil and cultipack. Plant and fertilize, we suggest you stay away from salt based fertilizers because the salt will run the worms and bacteria out of the soil They keep the soil aeriated and add humus to the soil.
Plant an annual like rye this fall. Go back next spring and plant buckwheat and then re work the area next fall and plant the perennial of your choice. ALWAYS do soil samples. I would think an alfalfa plot would be your best bet...

Romans 10:9 Psalms 42

Thanks, fellas! I got an offer of $25 per ton, they deliver and spread. Can't beat that! The only thing is that I don't know the exact size of my clearing. They said you shouldn't put down more than 4 tons per acre at a time. So I think I'll do 3 tons within a month and 3 tons in March...

Do all the limeing now.... Believe me, you be happy you did. After the first hard rain, you'll hardly be able to see where you limed.

Romans 10:9 Psalms 42

Lunchbucket is right on, if you spread 1 ton per acre, and then kick the soil, you cannot even see where you limed AT ALL. Lime is extremely heavy, and will look as though someone sprinkled baby powder on the field after the application. While the reccommendation of 4 ton/acre max is a common one cited, this is usually in refernece to applying once the feild is worked. In other words, if you spread 3 tons/acre, then plow and disc, you could apply another 3 ton and disk again, then plant. It will still take time to work, but it can be applied more than 4 tons/acre in this manner.

$25/ton is a great price. Take advantage of it, you'll be glad you did.

I'm with LB on the clover/alfafa though, do not even try to plant it this fall, go with a cereal grain. The problem is that you might be lucky enough to get a "spotty plot" of clover, then its difficult to decide on whether or not to plow it under and start again. At best, you will get a mediocre plot of clover. LB always says "do not be in a hurry to fail", in your case, he's right on the money. Wait until next spring or fall to try a clover or alfafa plot.