Soil series profile
Bluegrass soil series
Bluegrass is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 129,222 acres in 14 counties in KY. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.1 neutral · range 7.1–7.1
- Mapped area
- 129k acres in 14 counties, 1 state
Typical Bluegrass profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–12 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 7.1 | 17% | 7% | 2.6% |
| 12–35 in (Bt) | Silty clay loam | 6.3 | 29% | 6% | 0.57% |
| 35–84 in (2Bt) | Silty clay loam | 5.2 | 37% | 9% | 0.34% |
| 84–96 in (2BC) | Clay | 5.8 | 46% | 16% | 0.31% |
What this means
What Bluegrass soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Bluegrass soils is neutral: pH 7.1, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Bluegrass acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (100% of mapped Bluegrass acres).
100% of mapped Bluegrass 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 <1% of the acres in mapped Bluegrass soils very limited, >99% 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 Bluegrass soil is found
Mapped acres
Bluegrass is mapped in Kentucky.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Fayette County, KY | 34,669 | 19.1% |
| Woodford County, KY | 22,696 | 18.7% |
| Bourbon County, KY | 17,606 | 9.6% |
| Scott County, KY | 14,603 | 8.1% |
| Jessamine County, KY | 12,730 | 11.5% |
| Mercer County, KY | 8,641 | 5.4% |
| Boyle County, KY | 5,674 | 4.9% |
| Franklin County, KY | 3,796 | 2.8% |
| Clark County, KY | 3,470 | 2.1% |
| Garrard County, KY | 3,428 | 2.3% |
| Harrison County, KY | 828 | 0.4% |
| Nicholas County, KY | 498 | 0.4% |
| Anderson County, KY | 300 | 0.2% |
| Lincoln County, KY | 283 | 0.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Bluegrass acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 99.7% |
| Very limited | 0.3% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Bluegrass 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 4–9% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.6%.
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 Bluegrass (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 129,222 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Bluegrass components. The profile comes from the single largest Bluegrass component. Full methodology.