Soil series profile
Mayodan soil series
Mayodan is a well drained soil with a fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 156,833 acres in 24 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.3 strongly acidic · range 5.3–5.3
- Mapped area
- 157k acres in 24 counties, 3 states
Typical Mayodan profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (Ap) | Fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 13% | 67% | 1.25% |
| 6–9 in (BE) | Sandy clay loam | 5.3 | 30% | 56% | 0.1% |
| 9–33 in (Bt) | Clay | 5.0 | 48% | 23% | 0.1% |
| 33–40 in (BC) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 27% | 56% | 0.1% |
| 40–80 in (C) | Sandy clay loam | 5.3 | 30% | 56% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Mayodan soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Mayodan soils is strongly acidic: pH 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 85% of mapped Mayodan acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (60% of mapped Mayodan acres).
100% of mapped Mayodan 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 19% of the acres in mapped Mayodan soils very limited, 81% 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 Mayodan soil is found
Mapped acres
Mayodan is mapped in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Lee County, NC | 33,757 | 23.0% |
| Anson County, NC | 27,051 | 8.9% |
| Moore County, NC | 20,236 | 5.0% |
| Chesterfield County, VA | 14,477 | 6.2% |
| Durham County, NC | 12,465 | 7.0% |
| Campbell County, VA | 6,523 | 2.2% |
| Lynchburg city, VA | 6,523 | 2.2% |
| Richmond County, NC | 6,155 | 2.2% |
| Chatham County, NC | 5,740 | 1.6% |
| Powhatan County, VA | 5,258 | 3.7% |
| Granville County, NC | 4,050 | 1.2% |
| Amelia County, VA | 2,985 | 1.4% |
| Hanover County, VA | 2,284 | 0.9% |
| Chesterfield County, SC | 2,011 | 0.4% |
| Goochland County, VA | 1,585 | 1.1% |
| Cumberland County, VA | 1,234 | 0.8% |
| Appomattox County, VA | 902 | 0.5% |
| Charlotte County, VA | 869 | 0.3% |
| Prince Edward County, VA | 798 | 0.4% |
| Buckingham County, VA | 697 | 0.2% |
| Henry County, VA | 586 | 0.3% |
| Wake County, NC | 477 | 0.1% |
| Union County, NC | 106 | 0.0% |
| Orange County, NC | 63 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Mayodan acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 80.6% |
| Very limited | 19.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Mayodan acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 4–13% (median 8%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
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 | 99.7% |
| 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% |
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 Mayodan (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 156,833 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Mayodan components. The profile comes from the single largest Mayodan component. Full methodology.