Soil series profile
Malbis soil series
Malbis is a moderately well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 1,018,530 acres in 70 counties across 6 states. Hydrologic group C.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 60% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C 93% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.3
- Mapped area
- 1.0M acres in 70 counties, 6 states
Typical Malbis profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (A, E) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 15% | 69% | 0.75% |
| 9–28 in (Bt1, Bt2) | Loam | 5.0 | 26% | 38% | 0.25% |
| 28–46 in (Btv1) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 28% | 55% | 0.25% |
| 46–60 in (Btv2) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 28% | 55% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Malbis soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Malbis soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.3 (most land between 5.0 and 5.3). 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 77% of mapped Malbis acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (84% of mapped Malbis acres).
>99% of mapped Malbis acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
On 93% 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 92% of the acres in mapped Malbis soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (8% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).
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 Malbis soil is found
Mapped acres
Malbis is mapped in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Arkansas and Texas. The 60 counties with the most Malbis acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Vernon Parish, LA | 137,138 | 16.2% |
| Pearl River County, MS | 68,075 | 14.8% |
| Monroe County, AL | 64,960 | 11.5% |
| Rapides Parish, LA | 57,213 | 6.8% |
| Jones County, MS | 55,411 | 13.1% |
| Beauregard Parish, LA | 52,393 | 7.1% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 48,898 | 5.1% |
| Webster Parish, LA | 42,305 | 11.0% |
| Natchitoches Parish, LA | 39,754 | 4.9% |
| Washington County, AL | 37,713 | 6.1% |
| Bienville Parish, LA | 34,509 | 6.7% |
| Covington County, AL | 32,809 | 5.5% |
| Grant Parish, LA | 30,658 | 7.5% |
| Conecuh County, AL | 28,104 | 5.9% |
| Allen Parish, LA | 26,267 | 5.4% |
| Greene County, MS | 24,065 | 5.3% |
| Wayne County, MS | 23,614 | 4.9% |
| Union Parish, LA | 23,132 | 4.1% |
| Red River Parish, LA | 21,096 | 8.6% |
| Mobile County, AL | 20,071 | 2.9% |
| Wilcox County, AL | 17,775 | 3.6% |
| Jackson County, MS | 16,275 | 4.0% |
| Walton County, FL | 15,029 | 2.1% |
| Elmore County, AL | 10,435 | 2.9% |
| Tangipahoa Parish, LA | 8,287 | 1.7% |
| Escambia County, AL | 8,235 | 1.5% |
| Clarke County, AL | 7,497 | 1.1% |
| Hancock County, MS | 7,493 | 2.5% |
| Sabine Parish, LA | 6,428 | 1.2% |
| Stone County, MS | 5,992 | 2.2% |
| Harrison County, MS | 5,111 | 1.4% |
| Lowndes County, AL | 5,007 | 1.2% |
| LaSalle Parish, LA | 4,976 | 1.2% |
| Butler County, AL | 4,944 | 1.1% |
| Escambia County, FL | 3,701 | 0.9% |
| Crenshaw County, AL | 3,504 | 1.0% |
| Forrest County, MS | 2,864 | 1.0% |
| Macon County, AL | 2,494 | 0.7% |
| St. Helena Parish, LA | 1,877 | 0.7% |
| East Feliciana Parish, LA | 1,839 | 0.6% |
| George County, MS | 1,586 | 0.5% |
| Chilton County, AL | 1,329 | 0.3% |
| Perry County, MS | 1,135 | 0.3% |
| Claiborne Parish, LA | 976 | 0.2% |
| Winn Parish, LA | 883 | 0.1% |
| Bowie County, TX | 698 | 0.1% |
| Jackson Parish, LA | 470 | 0.1% |
| Lafayette County, AR | 415 | 0.1% |
| Columbia County, AR | 360 | 0.1% |
| Union County, AR | 322 | 0.0% |
| Montgomery County, AL | 315 | 0.1% |
| Nevada County, AR | 250 | 0.1% |
| Cherokee County, TX | 222 | 0.0% |
| Miller County, AR | 221 | 0.1% |
| Lamar County, MS | 187 | 0.1% |
| Evangeline Parish, LA | 176 | 0.0% |
| Hempstead County, AR | 146 | 0.0% |
| Marion County, MS | 125 | 0.0% |
| De Soto Parish, LA | 118 | 0.0% |
| West Feliciana Parish, LA | 113 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Malbis acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 91.9% |
| Not rated | 8.1% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Malbis acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 3.1 feet (37 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 2–6% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 39.6% |
| Moderately well drained | 60.3% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 0.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.2% |
| C: slow infiltration | 92.6% |
| 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 | 7.2% |
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 Malbis (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,018,530 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Malbis components. The profile comes from the single largest Malbis component. Full methodology.