Soil series profile
Nella soil series
Nella is a well drained soil with a gravelly fine sandy loam surface, mapped on 911,279 acres in 57 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 95% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 95% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.3
- Mapped area
- 911k acres in 57 counties, 4 states
Typical Nella profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (A) | Gravelly fine sandy loam | 5.3 | 7% | 59% | 1.75% |
| 6–13 in (BE) | Gravelly loam | 5.4 | 12% | 51% | 1% |
| 13–21 in (Bt1) | Gravelly loam | 5.0 | 18% | 47% | 0.55% |
| 21–43 in (Bt2) | Gravelly clay loam | 5.0 | 37% | 34% | 0.25% |
| 43–79 in (Bt3) | Cobbly clay loam | 4.7 | 34% | 39% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Nella soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Nella soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (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 95% of mapped Nella acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is gravelly fine sandy loam (38% of mapped Nella acres).
95% of mapped Nella 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 68% of the acres in mapped Nella soils very limited, 26% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (5% 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 Nella soil is found
Mapped acres
Nella is mapped in Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Newton County, AR | 130,793 | 24.9% |
| Johnson County, AR | 107,773 | 25.5% |
| Pope County, AR | 87,985 | 17.0% |
| Crawford County, AR | 73,132 | 19.3% |
| Searcy County, AR | 49,307 | 11.8% |
| Madison County, AR | 41,619 | 7.8% |
| Van Buren County, AR | 40,843 | 9.0% |
| Stone County, AR | 37,421 | 9.6% |
| Yell County, AR | 36,244 | 6.1% |
| Logan County, AR | 31,725 | 7.0% |
| Marshall County, AL | 28,265 | 8.8% |
| Scott County, AR | 24,658 | 4.3% |
| Cleburne County, AR | 21,489 | 6.0% |
| Shelby County, AL | 21,142 | 4.9% |
| Colbert County, AL | 18,334 | 5.7% |
| Etowah County, AL | 16,478 | 5.7% |
| St. Clair County, AL | 16,414 | 4.8% |
| Walker County, GA | 11,325 | 4.1% |
| Boone County, AR | 9,396 | 2.5% |
| Chattooga County, GA | 9,036 | 4.7% |
| Overton County, TN | 8,961 | 3.3% |
| Franklin County, AR | 8,125 | 2.1% |
| Floyd County, GA | 7,743 | 2.5% |
| Whitfield County, GA | 7,100 | 4.0% |
| White County, TN | 6,913 | 2.9% |
| Carroll County, AR | 6,270 | 1.6% |
| Dade County, GA | 5,920 | 5.4% |
| Conway County, AR | 5,653 | 1.6% |
| Putnam County, TN | 4,825 | 1.9% |
| Sebastian County, AR | 4,036 | 1.2% |
| Hancock County, TN | 4,008 | 2.8% |
| Bartow County, GA | 3,988 | 1.4% |
| Hawkins County, TN | 3,158 | 1.0% |
| Van Buren County, TN | 2,862 | 1.7% |
| Gordon County, GA | 2,850 | 1.6% |
| Fentress County, TN | 2,240 | 0.7% |
| Catoosa County, GA | 1,540 | 1.5% |
| Sequatchie County, TN | 1,367 | 0.8% |
| Cherokee County, AL | 1,172 | 0.4% |
| Warren County, TN | 1,077 | 0.4% |
| Blount County, TN | 954 | 0.3% |
| Polk County, GA | 909 | 0.5% |
| Marion County, TN | 854 | 0.3% |
| Pickett County, TN | 740 | 0.7% |
| White County, AR | 639 | 0.1% |
| Greene County, TN | 614 | 0.2% |
| Independence County, AR | 610 | 0.1% |
| Washington County, AR | 598 | 0.1% |
| Faulkner County, AR | 576 | 0.1% |
| Cannon County, TN | 322 | 0.2% |
| Lonoke County, AR | 272 | 0.1% |
| Jackson County, AR | 257 | 0.1% |
| Madison County, AL | 250 | 0.1% |
| Murray County, GA | 215 | 0.1% |
| Benton County, AR | 132 | 0.0% |
| Franklin County, TN | 87 | 0.0% |
| Perry County, AR | 64 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Nella acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 26.4% |
| Very limited | 68.3% |
| Not rated | 5.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Nella 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 14–45% (median 30%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 94.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Not rated | 5.1% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 94.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| 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 | 5.3% |
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 Nella (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 911,279 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Nella components. The profile comes from the single largest Nella component. Full methodology.