Soil series profile
Lansing soil series
Lansing is a well drained soil with a gravelly silt loam surface, mapped on 237,468 acres in 24 counties in NY. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.8 moderately acidic · range 5.8–5.8
- Mapped area
- 237k acres in 24 counties, 1 state
Typical Lansing profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Gravelly silt loam | 5.8 | 19% | 26% | 3% |
| 8–13 in (E) | Gravelly silt loam | 5.8 | 19% | 26% | 1.5% |
| 13–21 in (Bt/E) | Gravelly silt loam | 5.8 | 22% | 25% | 1.5% |
| 21–28 in (Bt1) | Gravelly silt loam | 6.3 | 22% | 25% | 1.5% |
| 28–39 in (Bt2) | Gravelly silt loam | 7.0 | 22% | 25% | 1.5% |
| 39–79 in (C) | Gravelly loam | 8.2 | 17% | 41% | 0.5% |
What this means
What Lansing soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Lansing soils is moderately acidic: pH 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 Lansing acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly silt loam (41% of mapped Lansing acres).
100% of mapped Lansing 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 34% of the acres in mapped Lansing soils very limited, 65% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Lansing soil is found
Mapped acres
Lansing is mapped in New York.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Onondaga County, NY | 27,668 | 5.5% |
| Montgomery County, NY | 25,902 | 10.0% |
| Otsego County, NY | 20,377 | 3.2% |
| Herkimer County, NY | 20,161 | 2.2% |
| Oneida County, NY | 18,459 | 2.4% |
| Madison County, NY | 17,573 | 4.2% |
| Cayuga County, NY | 13,825 | 3.3% |
| Fulton County, NY | 12,310 | 3.9% |
| Ontario County, NY | 11,240 | 2.7% |
| Wyoming County, NY | 10,820 | 2.9% |
| Yates County, NY | 10,394 | 4.8% |
| Tompkins County, NY | 8,513 | 2.8% |
| Schoharie County, NY | 7,373 | 1.9% |
| Seneca County, NY | 6,249 | 3.0% |
| Livingston County, NY | 6,100 | 1.4% |
| Lewis County, NY | 5,538 | 0.7% |
| Schuyler County, NY | 4,752 | 2.3% |
| Genesee County, NY | 4,360 | 1.4% |
| Cortland County, NY | 2,738 | 0.9% |
| Chenango County, NY | 1,356 | 0.2% |
| Chemung County, NY | 1,250 | 0.5% |
| Monroe County, NY | 325 | 0.1% |
| Schenectady County, NY | 110 | 0.1% |
| Erie County, NY | 75 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Lansing acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 65.1% |
| Very limited | 34.3% |
| Not rated | 0.6% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Lansing acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 2.6 feet (31 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 5–28% (median 11%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 3%.
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 | 99.1% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.3% |
| 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 | 0.6% |
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 Lansing (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 237,468 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Lansing components. The profile comes from the single largest Lansing component. Full methodology.