Soil series profile
Dickson soil series
Dickson is a moderately well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 593,756 acres in 43 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group C/D.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C/D 89% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.2 slightly acidic · range 5.0–6.2
- Mapped area
- 594k acres in 43 counties, 3 states
Typical Dickson profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (Ap) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 22% | 18% | 1.25% |
| 7–25 in (Bw) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 24% | 16% | 0.25% |
| 25–29 in (E/Bx) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 25% | 17% | 0.25% |
| 29–32 in (E/Bx) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 26% | 17% | 0.25% |
| 32–44 in (Bx) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 24% | 26% | 0.25% |
| 44–80 in (2Bt) | Silty clay loam | 5.0 | 30% | 16% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Dickson soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Dickson soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.2 (most land between 5.0 and 6.2), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers >99% of mapped Dickson acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (98% of mapped Dickson acres).
>99% of mapped Dickson acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On >99% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates >99% of the acres in mapped Dickson 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.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Dickson soil is found
Mapped acres
Dickson is mapped in Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale County, AL | 92,167 | 24.4% |
| Limestone County, AL | 55,820 | 17.5% |
| Humphreys County, TN | 46,531 | 13.8% |
| Coffee County, TN | 38,811 | 14.1% |
| Stewart County, TN | 32,955 | 11.2% |
| Madison County, AL | 28,878 | 6.5% |
| Robertson County, TN | 26,971 | 8.9% |
| Barren County, KY | 26,139 | 8.4% |
| Lincoln County, TN | 25,943 | 7.1% |
| Franklin County, TN | 24,425 | 7.0% |
| Sumner County, TN | 22,819 | 6.8% |
| Montgomery County, TN | 21,589 | 6.3% |
| Warren County, TN | 19,938 | 7.2% |
| DeKalb County, TN | 17,712 | 9.1% |
| Cannon County, TN | 17,064 | 10.0% |
| Lawrence County, TN | 14,580 | 3.7% |
| Macon County, TN | 14,337 | 7.3% |
| Lewis County, TN | 6,376 | 3.5% |
| Metcalfe County, KY | 6,318 | 3.4% |
| Cheatham County, TN | 6,041 | 3.1% |
| Dickson County, TN | 5,823 | 1.9% |
| Putnam County, TN | 4,847 | 1.9% |
| Decatur County, TN | 4,503 | 2.1% |
| Houston County, TN | 4,028 | 3.1% |
| Moore County, TN | 3,692 | 4.5% |
| White County, TN | 3,440 | 1.4% |
| Wayne County, TN | 2,876 | 0.6% |
| Overton County, TN | 2,586 | 0.9% |
| Davidson County, TN | 2,411 | 0.8% |
| Giles County, TN | 2,070 | 0.5% |
| Hickman County, TN | 1,886 | 0.5% |
| Colbert County, AL | 1,544 | 0.5% |
| Clay County, TN | 1,510 | 1.0% |
| Jackson County, TN | 1,485 | 0.7% |
| Wayne County, KY | 1,346 | 0.5% |
| Pickett County, TN | 1,139 | 1.1% |
| Hardin County, TN | 1,081 | 0.3% |
| Williamson County, TN | 1,066 | 0.3% |
| Maury County, TN | 510 | 0.1% |
| Van Buren County, TN | 186 | 0.1% |
| Bedford County, TN | 143 | 0.0% |
| Perry County, TN | 93 | 0.0% |
| Fentress County, TN | 76 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Dickson acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.5% |
| Not rated | 0.5% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Dickson acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 1.7 feet (20 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on 9% of acres.
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–8% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 0.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 99.8% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.2% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 10.6% |
| 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 | 88.9% |
| Not rated | 0.5% |
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 Dickson (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 593,756 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Dickson components. The profile comes from the single largest Dickson component. Full methodology.