Soil series profile
Appling soil series
Appling is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 1,716,503 acres in 127 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 4.8–6.3
- Mapped area
- 1.7M acres in 127 counties, 5 states
Typical Appling profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–13 in (Ap) | Sandy loam | 6.3 | 13% | 64% | 1.25% |
| 13–18 in (Bt1) | Sandy clay loam | 5.3 | 31% | 53% | 0.25% |
| 18–29 in (Bt2) | Clay | 5.3 | 53% | 29% | 0.25% |
| 29–51 in (BC) | Sandy clay loam | 4.7 | 26% | 58% | 0.25% |
| 51–60 in (C) | Sandy loam | 4.7 | 15% | 62% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Appling soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Appling soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5 (most land between 4.8 and 6.3). 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 89% of mapped Appling acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (67% of mapped Appling acres).
100% of mapped Appling acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 7% of the acres in mapped Appling soils very limited, 93% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Appling soil is found
Mapped acres
Appling is mapped in Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama. The 60 counties with the most Appling acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Dinwiddie County, VA | 75,242 | 25.3% |
| Colonial Heights city, VA | 73,338 | 51.7% |
| Petersburg city, VA | 73,338 | 38.7% |
| Chambers County, AL | 64,395 | 18.9% |
| Lunenburg County, VA | 60,278 | 25.7% |
| Mecklenburg County, VA | 57,962 | 16.7% |
| Louisa County, VA | 53,907 | 19.3% |
| Brunswick County, VA | 50,624 | 15.1% |
| Nottoway County, VA | 47,405 | 27.3% |
| Amelia County, VA | 47,117 | 22.8% |
| Charlotte County, VA | 46,655 | 18.3% |
| Gwinnett County, GA | 42,982 | 16.1% |
| Vance County, NC | 40,146 | 25.8% |
| Meriwether County, GA | 36,085 | 11.3% |
| Chesterfield County, VA | 34,689 | 15.0% |
| Cumberland County, VA | 30,796 | 19.2% |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 30,281 | 13.8% |
| Warren County, GA | 26,965 | 14.9% |
| Cobb County, GA | 23,035 | 10.6% |
| Campbell County, VA | 21,870 | 7.3% |
| Lynchburg city, VA | 21,870 | 7.3% |
| Coweta County, GA | 21,585 | 7.8% |
| Laurens County, SC | 20,976 | 4.7% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 20,524 | 6.5% |
| Warren County, NC | 20,431 | 8.0% |
| Orange County, NC | 20,136 | 8.1% |
| Columbia County, GA | 18,880 | 10.3% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 18,631 | 5.3% |
| Guilford County, NC | 17,703 | 4.7% |
| Oglethorpe County, GA | 17,610 | 6.6% |
| Person County, NC | 16,296 | 6.8% |
| Anderson County, SC | 16,137 | 3.6% |
| Lamar County, GA | 15,440 | 13.3% |
| Chester County, SC | 15,355 | 4.1% |
| McDuffie County, GA | 14,555 | 8.8% |
| Henry County, GA | 14,480 | 7.1% |
| Barrow County, GA | 14,215 | 13.8% |
| Fulton County, GA | 13,911 | 4.2% |
| Prince Edward County, VA | 13,206 | 6.9% |
| Douglas County, GA | 13,195 | 10.4% |
| Lexington County, SC | 13,157 | 3.0% |
| Pike County, GA | 12,825 | 9.5% |
| Greenville County, SC | 12,819 | 2.5% |
| Fairfield County, SC | 12,130 | 3.2% |
| Heard County, GA | 11,575 | 6.2% |
| Franklin County, NC | 11,327 | 3.7% |
| Fayette County, GA | 10,880 | 8.6% |
| Powhatan County, VA | 10,735 | 7.6% |
| Spalding County, GA | 10,300 | 8.3% |
| Saluda County, SC | 10,258 | 3.7% |
| Caroline County, VA | 10,097 | 3.2% |
| Hall County, GA | 9,510 | 3.8% |
| Stafford County, VA | 9,482 | 6.3% |
| Lee County, AL | 9,344 | 2.7% |
| Wilkes County, GA | 9,227 | 3.3% |
| Hart County, GA | 9,202 | 6.3% |
| Hancock County, GA | 9,122 | 3.0% |
| Troup County, GA | 9,030 | 3.4% |
| Abbeville County, SC | 8,534 | 2.8% |
| Granville County, NC | 8,398 | 2.5% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Appling acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 93.4% |
| Very limited | 6.6% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Appling 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 4–11% (median 5%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
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 | 100.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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 Appling (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,716,503 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Appling components. The profile comes from the single largest Appling component. Full methodology.