Soil series profile
Honokaa soil series
Honokaa is a well drained soil with a highly organic hydrous silty clay loam surface, mapped on 49,401 acres in 1 county in HI. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.0 moderately acidic · range 6.0–6.0
- Mapped area
- 49k acres in 1 county, 1 state
Typical Honokaa profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–7 in (A) | Highly organic hydrous silty clay loam | 6.0 | 34% | 10% | 19% |
| 7–25 in (Bw1) | Hydrous silty clay loam | 6.1 | 34% | 10% | 14% |
| 25–28 in (Bw2/2C) | Hydrous silty clay loam | 6.3 | 34% | 10% | 13% |
| 28–65 in (3Bw3) | Hydrous silty clay loam | 6.0 | 34% | 10% | 8% |
What this means
What Honokaa soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Honokaa soils is moderately acidic: pH 6.0. 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 Honokaa acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is highly organic hydrous silty clay loam (67% of mapped Honokaa acres).
100% of mapped Honokaa 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 66% of the acres in mapped Honokaa soils very limited, 34% 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 Honokaa soil is found
Mapped acres
Honokaa is mapped in Hawaii.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii County, HI | 49,401 | 1.9% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Honokaa acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 34.1% |
| Very limited | 65.9% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Honokaa 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 5–28% (median 15%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 19%.
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 Honokaa (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 49,401 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Honokaa components. The profile comes from the single largest Honokaa component. Full methodology.