Soil series profile

Cullen soil series

Cullen is a well drained soil with a clay loam surface, mapped on 242,360 acres in 15 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group B.

#1451 by mapped area very-fine Typic Hapludults (Ultisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 5.6
Mapped area: 242k

Typical Cullen profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Cullen horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–10 in (Ap)	Clay loam	6.7	33%	32%	1.25%
10–50 in (Bt)	Clay	4.8	64%	10%	0.25%
50–69 in (BC)	Silty clay	4.7	42%	12%	0.25%
69–80 in (CB)	Silty clay loam	4.7	32%	15%	0.25%

Representative values from the most extensive Cullen map unit (Cullen clay loam, 2 to 6 percent slopes, moderately eroded, survey area NC001). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Cullen soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Cullen soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.6 (most land between 5.6 and 6.7). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Cullen acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is clay loam (62% of mapped Cullen acres).

100% of mapped Cullen 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 11% of the acres in mapped Cullen soils very limited, 89% 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.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Cullen soil is found

Mapped acres

Cullen is mapped in North Carolina and Virginia.

Counties with the most mapped Cullen soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Alamance County, NC	91,299	33.5%
Campbell County, VA	36,476	12.1%
Lynchburg city, VA	36,476	12.1%
Caswell County, NC	17,104	6.3%
Appomattox County, VA	16,587	8.8%
Cabarrus County, NC	14,408	6.9%
Charlotte County, VA	8,248	3.2%
Stafford County, VA	6,849	4.6%
Mecklenburg County, VA	4,822	1.4%
Louisa County, VA	2,876	1.0%
Montgomery County, NC	2,495	0.8%
Spotsylvania County, VA	2,416	1.1%
Richmond County, NC	1,451	0.5%
Warren County, NC	758	0.3%
Charlottesville city, VA	94	1.6%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Cullen acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 89%

Very limited 11%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Cullen acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Cullen acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	88.7%
Very limited	11.3%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Cullen 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 4–20% (median 8%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 1.2%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 100%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Drainage class across mapped Cullen acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Cullen acres.
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

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%

B: moderate infiltration 100%

C: slow infiltration 0%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Cullen acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

Show as a table

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Cullen acres.
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 Cullen (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 242,360 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Cullen components. The profile comes from the single largest Cullen component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Cullen.