Soil series profile
Blanton soil series
Blanton is a moderately well drained soil with a loamy sand surface, mapped on 1,175,484 acres in 109 counties across 6 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 69% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.1–5.3
- Mapped area
- 1.2M acres in 109 counties, 6 states
Typical Blanton profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–10 in (Ap) | Loamy sand | 5.3 | 9% | 82% | 1.25% |
| 10–61 in (E) | Loamy sand | 5.3 | 9% | 82% | 0.25% |
| 61–68 in (BE) | Loamy sand | 5.0 | 12% | 84% | 0.06% |
| 68–80 in (Bt) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 26% | 56% | 0.06% |
What this means
What Blanton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Blanton soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 5.1 and 5.3). 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.
Sandy topsoil covers 100% of mapped Blanton acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is sand (48% of mapped Blanton acres).
100% of mapped Blanton acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
>99% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 28% of the acres in mapped Blanton soils very limited, 72% somewhat limited and <1% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Blanton soil is found
Mapped acres
Blanton is mapped in Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Mississippi. The 60 counties with the most Blanton acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Suwannee County, FL | 112,635 | 25.6% |
| Columbia County, FL | 64,457 | 12.6% |
| Decatur County, GA | 61,169 | 19.2% |
| Madison County, FL | 60,373 | 13.3% |
| Allendale County, SC | 51,275 | 13.6% |
| Jackson County, FL | 47,644 | 8.0% |
| Barnwell County, SC | 46,430 | 22.1% |
| Dale County, AL | 43,981 | 15.2% |
| Kershaw County, SC | 43,463 | 9.2% |
| Bullock County, AL | 32,908 | 9.4% |
| Sampson County, NC | 28,452 | 5.0% |
| Hamilton County, FL | 27,482 | 8.4% |
| Screven County, GA | 27,126 | 7.6% |
| Leon County, FL | 26,589 | 6.2% |
| Covington County, AL | 25,637 | 4.3% |
| Washington County, FL | 23,237 | 6.1% |
| Hampton County, SC | 22,846 | 6.5% |
| Aiken County, SC | 22,192 | 3.2% |
| Lancaster County, SC | 19,319 | 5.5% |
| Orangeburg County, SC | 17,829 | 2.6% |
| Autauga County, AL | 13,471 | 4.4% |
| Effingham County, GA | 13,070 | 4.9% |
| Calhoun County, FL | 12,996 | 3.6% |
| Bamberg County, SC | 12,664 | 5.5% |
| Richland County, SC | 12,428 | 2.6% |
| Walton County, FL | 11,446 | 1.6% |
| Brunswick County, NC | 11,098 | 2.2% |
| Horry County, SC | 11,059 | 1.5% |
| Scotland County, NC | 9,798 | 5.2% |
| Washington County, AL | 9,400 | 1.5% |
| Clay County, FL | 9,140 | 2.4% |
| Gadsden County, FL | 8,909 | 2.7% |
| Bay County, FL | 8,838 | 1.8% |
| Jasper County, SC | 8,692 | 2.1% |
| Barbour County, AL | 8,657 | 1.8% |
| Liberty County, FL | 8,602 | 1.6% |
| Gilchrist County, FL | 8,510 | 3.8% |
| Duplin County, NC | 8,308 | 1.8% |
| Jefferson County, FL | 7,906 | 2.1% |
| Johnston County, NC | 7,833 | 1.7% |
| Colleton County, SC | 7,772 | 1.3% |
| Darlington County, SC | 7,239 | 2.2% |
| Lafayette County, FL | 7,227 | 2.1% |
| Long County, GA | 7,080 | 2.8% |
| Wilcox County, GA | 6,838 | 3.2% |
| Grady County, GA | 6,464 | 2.7% |
| Escambia County, FL | 5,778 | 1.4% |
| Marion County, SC | 5,385 | 1.8% |
| Mobile County, AL | 5,337 | 0.8% |
| Lee County, AL | 5,098 | 1.5% |
| Elmore County, AL | 4,983 | 1.4% |
| Dorchester County, SC | 4,950 | 1.4% |
| Atkinson County, GA | 4,770 | 2.2% |
| Russell County, AL | 4,383 | 1.2% |
| Macon County, AL | 4,382 | 1.3% |
| Union County, FL | 4,365 | 2.8% |
| Emanuel County, GA | 4,200 | 1.1% |
| Marlboro County, SC | 4,058 | 1.4% |
| Stewart County, GA | 3,988 | 1.6% |
| Nassau County, FL | 3,959 | 1.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Blanton acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.4% |
| Somewhat limited | 71.8% |
| Very limited | 27.8% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Blanton acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.8 feet (57 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on <1% of acres (<1% occasional, 0% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 3–7% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 12.3% |
| Well drained | 18.8% |
| Moderately well drained | 68.9% |
| 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) | 99.9% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.1% |
| 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 Blanton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,175,484 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Blanton components. The profile comes from the single largest Blanton component. Full methodology.