Soil series profile
Nason soil series
Nason is a well drained soil with a silt loam surface, mapped on 216,017 acres in 25 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
- 5.5 strongly acidic · range 5.5–5.5
- Mapped area
- 216k acres in 25 counties, 3 states
Typical Nason profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–14 in (H1) | Silt loam | 5.5 | 19% | 27% | 2% |
| 14–48 in (H2) | Silty clay | 5.0 | 43% | 8% | 0.25% |
| 48–62 in (H3) | Silt loam | 5.0 | 18% | 29% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Nason soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Nason soils is strongly acidic: pH 5.5. 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 100% of mapped Nason acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is silt loam (67% of mapped Nason acres).
100% of mapped Nason 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 18% of the acres in mapped Nason soils very limited, 82% 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 Nason soil is found
Mapped acres
Nason is mapped in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Louisa County, VA | 61,925 | 22.2% |
| Fluvanna County, VA | 36,253 | 23.2% |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 15,667 | 7.1% |
| Granville County, NC | 14,026 | 4.2% |
| Stafford County, VA | 11,778 | 7.9% |
| Campbell County, VA | 11,446 | 3.8% |
| Lynchburg city, VA | 11,446 | 3.8% |
| Johnston County, NC | 11,078 | 2.4% |
| Nash County, NC | 8,581 | 2.6% |
| Cherokee County, SC | 7,053 | 2.8% |
| Lunenburg County, VA | 6,789 | 2.9% |
| Harnett County, NC | 3,884 | 1.1% |
| Mecklenburg County, VA | 2,920 | 0.8% |
| Durham County, NC | 2,735 | 1.5% |
| Vance County, NC | 1,972 | 1.3% |
| Wilson County, NC | 1,792 | 0.8% |
| Goochland County, VA | 1,459 | 1.0% |
| Prince William County, VA | 892 | 0.5% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 824 | 0.3% |
| Appomattox County, VA | 820 | 0.4% |
| Richland County, SC | 675 | 0.1% |
| McCormick County, SC | 664 | 0.3% |
| Saluda County, SC | 648 | 0.2% |
| Greenwood County, SC | 461 | 0.2% |
| Fauquier County, VA | 230 | 0.1% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Nason acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 82.3% |
| Very limited | 17.7% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Nason 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 4–20% (median 11%).
- 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 | 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 | 98.5% |
| C: slow infiltration | 1.5% |
| 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 Nason (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 216,017 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Nason components. The profile comes from the single largest Nason component. Full methodology.