Soil series profile
Collins soil series
Collins is a moderately well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 675,591 acres in 48 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 75% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–6.3
- Mapped area
- 676k acres in 48 counties, 5 states
Typical Collins profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (H1) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 12% | 21% | 1.25% |
| 8–62 in (H2) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 12% | 21% | 0.15% |
What this means
What Collins soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Collins soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 5.0 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 >99% of mapped Collins acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (97% of mapped Collins acres).
>99% of mapped Collins 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 >99% of the acres in mapped Collins 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.
Flooding is mapped on >99% of the acres (87% occasional, 8% frequent).
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Collins soil is found
Mapped acres
Collins is mapped in Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Panola County, MS | 69,723 | 16.6% |
| DeSoto County, MS | 52,571 | 17.7% |
| Tate County, MS | 44,927 | 18.4% |
| Fayette County, TN | 41,264 | 9.2% |
| Holmes County, MS | 37,512 | 8.1% |
| Gibson County, TN | 33,743 | 8.8% |
| Weakley County, TN | 31,266 | 8.4% |
| Carroll County, TN | 24,820 | 6.5% |
| Shelby County, TN | 24,356 | 5.0% |
| Madison County, TN | 22,428 | 6.3% |
| Crockett County, TN | 22,406 | 11.5% |
| Craighead County, AR | 20,868 | 4.6% |
| Tallahatchie County, MS | 19,980 | 5.3% |
| Yalobusha County, MS | 19,648 | 7.0% |
| Clay County, AR | 19,116 | 4.7% |
| Montgomery County, MS | 17,385 | 7.3% |
| Claiborne County, MS | 15,663 | 5.4% |
| Calhoun County, MS | 14,841 | 4.1% |
| Grenada County, MS | 14,242 | 5.8% |
| Marshall County, MS | 13,560 | 3.1% |
| Cleveland County, AR | 11,188 | 2.9% |
| Jefferson County, MS | 8,518 | 2.8% |
| Pike County, MS | 8,509 | 3.5% |
| Poinsett County, AR | 8,372 | 1.7% |
| Henderson County, TN | 7,081 | 2.1% |
| Dyer County, TN | 7,017 | 2.1% |
| Wilkinson County, MS | 6,926 | 1.6% |
| Obion County, TN | 6,806 | 1.9% |
| Lincoln County, MS | 6,612 | 1.8% |
| Haywood County, TN | 6,385 | 1.7% |
| Adams County, MS | 6,106 | 2.4% |
| Quitman County, MS | 5,787 | 2.4% |
| Cross County, AR | 5,432 | 1.4% |
| Leflore County, MS | 2,962 | 0.8% |
| Amite County, MS | 2,885 | 0.7% |
| Tippah County, MS | 2,673 | 1.0% |
| Stoddard County, MO | 2,508 | 0.5% |
| Hancock County, KY | 1,795 | 1.5% |
| Dunklin County, MO | 1,699 | 0.5% |
| Franklin County, MS | 1,622 | 0.5% |
| Crittenden County, KY | 1,251 | 0.5% |
| Warren County, MS | 1,190 | 0.3% |
| St. Francis County, AR | 1,054 | 0.3% |
| Walthall County, MS | 553 | 0.2% |
| Daviess County, KY | 287 | 0.1% |
| Webster County, KY | 33 | 0.0% |
| Union County, KY | 13 | 0.0% |
| Butler County, MO | 8 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Collins acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.2% |
| Not rated | 0.8% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Collins acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.4 feet (41 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on <1% of acres.
- Flooding
- Mapped as flooding on >99% of acres (87% occasional, 8% frequent).
- Slope
- Typically 1–1% (median 1%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.2% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.6% |
| Moderately well drained | 98.7% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.2% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.3% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.2% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 74.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 24.1% |
| 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 | 0.2% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.8% |
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 Collins (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 675,591 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Collins components. The profile comes from the single largest Collins component. Full methodology.