Soil series profile
Laidig soil series
Laidig is a well drained soil with a extremely stony loam surface, mapped on 911,145 acres in 60 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 79% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 4.6 very strongly acidic · range 4.5–5.4
- Mapped area
- 911k acres in 60 counties, 4 states
Typical Laidig profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–3 in (A) | Extremely stony loam | 4.5 | 17% | 43% | 3% |
| 3–34 in (Bt) | Gravelly silt loam | 4.5 | 23% | 22% | 0.25% |
| 34–65 in (Btx) | Very channery silty clay loam | 4.5 | 30% | 15% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Laidig soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Laidig soils is very strongly acidic: pH 4.6 (most land between 4.5 and 5.4). Most vegetables and lawn grasses do best around 6.0 to 7.0, so lime is often needed; blueberries, azaleas and rhododendrons like it as it is.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 99% of mapped Laidig acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is channery loam (41% of mapped Laidig acres).
>99% of mapped Laidig 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 Laidig 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 Laidig soil is found
Mapped acres
Laidig is mapped in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Centre County, PA | 68,401 | 9.8% |
| Clinton County, PA | 55,336 | 9.7% |
| Blair County, PA | 51,160 | 15.6% |
| Cambria County, PA | 48,014 | 11.0% |
| Huntingdon County, PA | 39,849 | 7.2% |
| Dauphin County, PA | 39,235 | 12.3% |
| Mifflin County, PA | 38,173 | 14.7% |
| Clay County, WV | 34,344 | 19.5% |
| Berks County, PA | 33,056 | 6.0% |
| Perry County, PA | 31,432 | 9.1% |
| Rockingham County, VA | 28,892 | 6.4% |
| Juniata County, PA | 27,709 | 11.2% |
| Lycoming County, PA | 27,588 | 3.5% |
| Bedford County, PA | 26,144 | 4.1% |
| Westmoreland County, PA | 23,570 | 3.6% |
| Schuylkill County, PA | 23,029 | 4.7% |
| Fulton County, PA | 19,106 | 6.9% |
| Cumberland County, PA | 18,663 | 5.4% |
| Shenandoah County, VA | 17,822 | 8.7% |
| Monroe County, WV | 16,827 | 6.0% |
| Lebanon County, PA | 15,079 | 6.6% |
| Hardy County, WV | 14,703 | 4.9% |
| Union County, PA | 14,581 | 7.2% |
| Fayette County, PA | 14,432 | 2.9% |
| Pendleton County, WV | 13,704 | 4.0% |
| Botetourt County, VA | 12,203 | 5.2% |
| Northumberland County, PA | 10,931 | 3.7% |
| Carbon County, PA | 10,373 | 4.3% |
| Clarion County, PA | 9,966 | 2.6% |
| Hampshire County, WV | 9,963 | 2.8% |
| Snyder County, PA | 8,842 | 4.2% |
| Kanawha County, WV | 8,594 | 1.9% |
| Franklin County, PA | 8,536 | 1.7% |
| Lehigh County, PA | 8,442 | 3.8% |
| Page County, VA | 7,487 | 4.4% |
| Frederick County, VA | 7,346 | 3.2% |
| Northampton County, PA | 7,009 | 3.0% |
| Mineral County, WV | 6,059 | 3.3% |
| Potter County, PA | 5,417 | 0.8% |
| Warren County, PA | 5,326 | 0.9% |
| Grant County, WV | 4,328 | 1.8% |
| Smyth County, VA | 2,944 | 1.7% |
| Monroe County, PA | 2,930 | 0.8% |
| Rockbridge County, VA | 2,891 | 0.9% |
| Somerset County, PA | 2,739 | 0.4% |
| Indiana County, PA | 2,688 | 0.5% |
| Forest County, PA | 2,659 | 1.0% |
| Columbia County, PA | 2,303 | 0.8% |
| Clarke County, VA | 2,213 | 2.5% |
| Garrett County, MD | 1,630 | 0.4% |
| Jefferson County, PA | 1,445 | 0.3% |
| Roanoke County, VA | 1,001 | 0.8% |
| Bedford County, VA | 745 | 0.2% |
| Allegany County, MD | 585 | 0.2% |
| Luzerne County, PA | 485 | 0.1% |
| Montour County, PA | 457 | 0.5% |
| Clearfield County, PA | 306 | 0.0% |
| Adams County, PA | 74 | 0.0% |
| Washington County, MD | 52 | 0.0% |
| Cameron County, PA | 17 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Laidig acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 99.6% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Laidig acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.9 feet (35 in) (median where reported); within 18 inches on 2% of acres.
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 6–38% (median 20%).
- 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 | 99.6% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 5.3% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 78.9% |
| C: slow infiltration | 14.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 1.8% |
| 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 Laidig (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 911,145 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Laidig components. The profile comes from the single largest Laidig component. Full methodology.