Soil series profile
Ladoga soil series
Ladoga is a moderately well drained soil with a silty clay loam surface, mapped on 577,839 acres in 50 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 87% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.6 neutral · range 5.9–6.7
- Mapped area
- 578k acres in 50 counties, 3 states
Typical Ladoga profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (Ap) | Silty clay loam | 6.0 | 28% | 2% | 2.5% |
| 6–10 in (BE) | Silty clay loam | 6.0 | 28% | 2% | 1% |
| 10–19 in (Bt1) | Silty clay loam | 5.7 | 33% | 2% | 0.75% |
| 19–25 in (Bt2) | Silty clay loam | 5.5 | 38% | 2% | 0.75% |
| 25–32 in (Bt3) | Silty clay loam | 5.5 | 36% | 2% | 0.75% |
| 32–45 in (Bt4) | Silty clay loam | 5.8 | 34% | 2% | 0.75% |
| 45–51 in (Bt5) | Silty clay loam | 6.0 | 30% | 2% | 0.5% |
| 51–60 in (C) | Silt loam | 6.1 | 26% | 2% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Ladoga soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Ladoga soils is neutral: pH 6.6 (most land between 5.9 and 6.7), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Ladoga acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (89% of mapped Ladoga acres).
100% of mapped Ladoga acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 100% 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 100% of the acres in mapped Ladoga 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 Ladoga soil is found
Mapped acres
Ladoga is mapped in Iowa, Missouri and Kansas.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Keokuk County, IA | 52,920 | 14.4% |
| Mahaska County, IA | 51,519 | 14.2% |
| Madison County, IA | 35,668 | 10.0% |
| Iowa County, IA | 30,963 | 8.3% |
| Warren County, IA | 30,082 | 8.3% |
| Johnson County, IA | 29,897 | 7.7% |
| Marion County, IA | 27,853 | 8.0% |
| Guthrie County, IA | 25,448 | 6.8% |
| Washington County, IA | 24,749 | 6.8% |
| Pettis County, MO | 17,311 | 3.9% |
| Ray County, MO | 15,278 | 4.2% |
| Poweshiek County, IA | 15,172 | 4.1% |
| Clay County, MO | 14,803 | 5.8% |
| Henry County, IA | 14,380 | 5.2% |
| Adair County, IA | 13,366 | 3.7% |
| Adams County, IA | 12,695 | 4.7% |
| Platte County, MO | 12,259 | 4.6% |
| Wyandotte County, KS | 11,990 | 12.4% |
| Jefferson County, IA | 11,298 | 4.1% |
| Jasper County, IA | 9,540 | 2.0% |
| Clinton County, MO | 8,565 | 3.2% |
| Monroe County, IA | 7,572 | 2.7% |
| Louisa County, IA | 7,557 | 2.9% |
| Union County, IA | 7,448 | 2.8% |
| Saline County, MO | 7,341 | 1.5% |
| Taylor County, IA | 6,902 | 2.0% |
| Howard County, MO | 6,843 | 2.3% |
| Dallas County, IA | 6,733 | 1.8% |
| Johnson County, KS | 6,710 | 2.2% |
| Leavenworth County, KS | 6,225 | 2.1% |
| Polk County, IA | 6,162 | 1.7% |
| Wapello County, IA | 5,906 | 2.1% |
| Des Moines County, IA | 5,230 | 2.0% |
| Montgomery County, IA | 3,999 | 1.5% |
| Page County, IA | 3,514 | 1.0% |
| Carroll County, MO | 3,426 | 0.8% |
| Caldwell County, MO | 3,421 | 1.2% |
| DeKalb County, MO | 3,341 | 1.2% |
| Ringgold County, IA | 3,249 | 1.0% |
| Andrew County, MO | 2,656 | 1.0% |
| Gentry County, MO | 1,845 | 0.6% |
| Pottawattamie County, IA | 1,363 | 0.2% |
| Worth County, MO | 1,320 | 0.8% |
| Harrison County, MO | 1,155 | 0.2% |
| Clarke County, IA | 888 | 0.3% |
| Cooper County, MO | 621 | 0.2% |
| Nodaway County, MO | 502 | 0.1% |
| Johnson County, MO | 85 | 0.0% |
| Daviess County, MO | 57 | 0.0% |
| Grundy County, MO | 12 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Ladoga acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 100.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Ladoga acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.9 feet (47 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–12% (median 7%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2.5%.
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 | 100.0% |
| 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 | 0.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 87.4% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 12.6% |
| 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 Ladoga (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 577,839 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Ladoga components. The profile comes from the single largest Ladoga component. Full methodology.