Soil series profile
Alred soil series
Alred is a well drained soil with a gravelly silt loam surface, mapped on 592,902 acres in 55 counties in MO. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.4 strongly acidic · range 4.7–5.4
- Mapped area
- 593k acres in 55 counties, 1 state
Typical Alred profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–1 in (Oi) | Slightly decomposed plant material | 4.3 | Not reported | Not reported | 69% |
| 1–4 in (A) | Gravelly silt loam | 4.5 | 10% | 14% | 2% |
| 4–8 in (E) | Gravelly silt loam | 4.5 | 11% | 10% | 1% |
| 8–22 in (Bt1) | Very gravelly silty clay loam | 4.6 | 29% | 16% | 0.2% |
| 22–79 in (2Bt2) | Gravelly clay | 5.1 | 71% | 15% | 0.2% |
What this means
What Alred soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Alred soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.4 (most land between 4.7 and 5.4). Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Alred acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly silt loam (51% of mapped Alred acres).
100% of mapped Alred acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 100% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 100% of the acres in mapped Alred soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Alred soil is found
Mapped acres
Alred is mapped in Missouri.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon County, MO | 70,347 | 13.9% |
| Ozark County, MO | 66,533 | 14.0% |
| Washington County, MO | 57,626 | 11.9% |
| Crawford County, MO | 54,746 | 11.6% |
| Bollinger County, MO | 53,566 | 13.6% |
| Howell County, MO | 50,269 | 8.5% |
| Reynolds County, MO | 50,188 | 9.7% |
| Shannon County, MO | 31,782 | 5.0% |
| Wayne County, MO | 29,851 | 6.2% |
| Carter County, MO | 28,597 | 8.8% |
| Phelps County, MO | 14,697 | 3.4% |
| Texas County, MO | 10,397 | 1.4% |
| Cape Girardeau County, MO | 7,602 | 2.1% |
| Stone County, MO | 6,984 | 2.4% |
| Maries County, MO | 6,305 | 1.9% |
| Iron County, MO | 3,301 | 0.9% |
| Greene County, MO | 3,214 | 0.7% |
| Madison County, MO | 3,071 | 1.0% |
| Miller County, MO | 2,999 | 0.8% |
| Ste. Genevieve County, MO | 2,994 | 0.9% |
| Ripley County, MO | 2,784 | 0.7% |
| Jefferson County, MO | 2,645 | 0.6% |
| Perry County, MO | 2,562 | 0.8% |
| Osage County, MO | 2,545 | 0.7% |
| Dade County, MO | 2,532 | 0.8% |
| Douglas County, MO | 2,251 | 0.4% |
| Webster County, MO | 2,160 | 0.6% |
| St. Francois County, MO | 2,016 | 0.7% |
| St. Clair County, MO | 1,964 | 0.5% |
| Barry County, MO | 1,884 | 0.4% |
| Christian County, MO | 1,857 | 0.5% |
| Polk County, MO | 1,845 | 0.5% |
| Dent County, MO | 1,760 | 0.4% |
| Morgan County, MO | 1,638 | 0.4% |
| Cedar County, MO | 1,485 | 0.5% |
| Franklin County, MO | 990 | 0.2% |
| Laclede County, MO | 762 | 0.2% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 702 | 0.2% |
| Dallas County, MO | 648 | 0.2% |
| Cole County, MO | 572 | 0.2% |
| Butler County, MO | 542 | 0.1% |
| Pulaski County, MO | 457 | 0.1% |
| Moniteau County, MO | 253 | 0.1% |
| Wright County, MO | 236 | 0.1% |
| Henry County, MO | 220 | 0.0% |
| Callaway County, MO | 189 | 0.0% |
| St. Louis County, MO | 106 | 0.0% |
| McDonald County, MO | 73 | 0.0% |
| Gasconade County, MO | 57 | 0.0% |
| Hickory County, MO | 41 | 0.0% |
| Benton County, MO | 21 | 0.0% |
| Stoddard County, MO | 18 | 0.0% |
| Camden County, MO | 15 | 0.0% |
| Cooper County, MO | 5 | 0.0% |
| Montgomery County, MO | 0 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Alred acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Alred acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 8–25% (median 25%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 100.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 100.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- All map unit components named Alred (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 592,902 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Alred components. The profile comes from the single largest Alred component. Full methodology.