Soil series profile

Gaila soil series

Gaila is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 86,667 acres in 15 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group B.

#3940 by mapped area fine-loamy Inceptic Hapludults (Ultisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 5.8
Mapped area: 87k

Typical Gaila 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 Gaila horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–8 in (H1)	Silt loam	4.6	18%	29%	1.25%
8–17 in (H2)	Sandy clay loam	4.6	24%	58%	0.38%
17–20 in (H3)	Sandy loam	4.6	18%	67%	0.38%
20–76 in (H4)	Loamy sand	4.6	13%	83%	0.38%

Representative values from the most extensive Gaila map unit (Gaila silt loam, 8 to 15 percent slopes, survey area MD031). 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 Gaila soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Gaila soils is moderately acidic: pH 5.8 (most land between 4.6 and 5.8). 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 >99% of mapped Gaila acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (71% of mapped Gaila acres).

>99% of mapped Gaila 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 Gaila 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.

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

Where Gaila soil is found

Mapped acres

Gaila is mapped in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware and District of Columbia.

Counties with the most mapped Gaila soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Montgomery County, MD	32,398	10.2%
Baltimore County, MD	12,516	3.4%
Chester County, PA	9,227	1.9%
Carroll County, MD	8,674	3.0%
Prince William County, VA	5,556	3.0%
Howard County, MD	4,201	2.6%
Lancaster County, PA	4,024	0.7%
New Castle County, DE	3,957	1.6%
Cecil County, MD	2,969	1.5%
Harford County, MD	2,554	0.9%
Frederick County, MD	370	0.1%
Montgomery County, PA	148	0.0%
Prince George's County, MD	57	0.0%
District of Columbia, DC	13	0.0%
Philadelphia County, PA	5	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Gaila acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 0%

Very limited >99%

Not rated <1%

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

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Gaila acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	0.0%
Very limited	99.9%
Not rated	0.1%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Gaila 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 6–20% (median 12%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 1.2%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained >99%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Not rated <1%

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

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Drainage class across mapped Gaila acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
Well drained	99.9%
Moderately well drained	0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%
Not rated	0.1%

Hydrologic soil group

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

B: moderate infiltration >99%

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%

Not rated <1%

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

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Gaila acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	99.9%
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%
Not rated	0.1%

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 Gaila (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 86,667 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Gaila components. The profile comes from the single largest Gaila component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

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