Soil series profile
Marlette soil series
Marlette is a moderately well drained soil with a loam surface, mapped on 400,224 acres in 27 counties in MI. Hydrologic group C/D.
- Drainage class
- Moderately well drained 58% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- C/D 58% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.1 slightly acidic · range 6.1–6.5
- Mapped area
- 400k acres in 27 counties, 1 state
Typical Marlette profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–9 in (Ap) | Loam | 6.1 | 15% | 50% | 2% |
| 9–16 in (B/E) | Clay loam | 6.4 | 28% | 40% | 0.5% |
| 16–36 in (Bt) | Clay loam | 7.0 | 28% | 44% | 0.5% |
| 36–80 in (C) | Loam | 8.1 | 19% | 44% | 0.2% |
What this means
What Marlette soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Marlette soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.1 (most land between 6.1 and 6.5), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 100% of mapped Marlette acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (53% of mapped Marlette acres).
100% of mapped Marlette 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 Marlette 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 Marlette soil is found
Mapped acres
Marlette is mapped in Michigan.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Eaton County, MI | 88,289 | 24.0% |
| Oakland County, MI | 75,905 | 13.8% |
| Barry County, MI | 46,042 | 13.0% |
| Ingham County, MI | 40,059 | 11.3% |
| Clinton County, MI | 37,581 | 10.3% |
| Ionia County, MI | 23,909 | 6.5% |
| Kent County, MI | 22,918 | 4.2% |
| Newaygo County, MI | 20,397 | 3.8% |
| Gratiot County, MI | 11,726 | 3.2% |
| Mecosta County, MI | 11,577 | 3.3% |
| Allegan County, MI | 6,359 | 1.2% |
| Mason County, MI | 6,227 | 2.0% |
| Jackson County, MI | 3,262 | 0.7% |
| Manistee County, MI | 1,243 | 0.4% |
| Oceana County, MI | 994 | 0.3% |
| Ottawa County, MI | 715 | 0.2% |
| Isabella County, MI | 702 | 0.2% |
| Van Buren County, MI | 427 | 0.1% |
| Benzie County, MI | 404 | 0.2% |
| Genesee County, MI | 395 | 0.1% |
| Calhoun County, MI | 291 | 0.1% |
| Montcalm County, MI | 277 | 0.1% |
| St. Joseph County, MI | 219 | 0.1% |
| Shiawassee County, MI | 121 | 0.0% |
| Lapeer County, MI | 81 | 0.0% |
| Livingston County, MI | 58 | 0.0% |
| Macomb County, MI | 43 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Marlette 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 Marlette acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 1.8 feet (22 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 3–9% (median 4%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 2%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 41.7% |
| Moderately well drained | 58.3% |
| 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 | 42.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.2% |
| 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 | 57.8% |
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 Marlette (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 400,224 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Marlette components. The profile comes from the single largest Marlette component. Full methodology.