Soil series profile
Oshtemo soil series
Oshtemo is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 804,804 acres in 93 counties across 5 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A >99% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.0 moderately acidic · range 5.8–6.5
- Mapped area
- 805k acres in 93 counties, 5 states
Typical Oshtemo profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–8 in (Ap) | Sandy loam | 6.0 | 7% | 73% | 1.31% |
| 8–13 in (E) | Sandy loam | 6.3 | 10% | 72% | 0.33% |
| 13–36 in (Bt) | Sandy loam | 6.2 | 16% | 73% | 0.4% |
| 36–55 in (E and Bt) | Loamy sand | 6.2 | 6% | 87% | 0.34% |
| 55–80 in (2C) | Gravelly sand | 8.0 | 2% | 93% | 0.21% |
What this means
What Oshtemo soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Oshtemo soils is moderately acidic: pH 6.0 (most land between 5.8 and 6.5). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Sandy topsoil covers 78% of mapped Oshtemo acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (74% of mapped Oshtemo acres).
>99% of mapped Oshtemo acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
>99% of mapped acres is in hydrologic group A, where water soaks in fast. Lawns there dry out quickly; deeper, less frequent watering and organic matter help.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates >99% of the acres in mapped Oshtemo soils very limited, <1% 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 Oshtemo soil is found
Mapped acres
Oshtemo is mapped in Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The 60 counties with the most Oshtemo acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph County, MI | 94,945 | 29.8% |
| Calhoun County, MI | 79,963 | 17.7% |
| Kalamazoo County, MI | 66,066 | 18.4% |
| Barry County, MI | 55,176 | 15.6% |
| Cass County, MI | 53,663 | 17.0% |
| Berrien County, MI | 46,056 | 12.7% |
| Van Buren County, MI | 35,743 | 9.2% |
| Marshall County, IN | 32,035 | 11.3% |
| LaGrange County, IN | 29,692 | 12.3% |
| Oakland County, MI | 27,793 | 5.0% |
| Jackson County, MI | 27,749 | 6.2% |
| Allegan County, MI | 24,471 | 4.6% |
| Marquette County, WI | 23,964 | 8.3% |
| St. Joseph County, IN | 23,633 | 8.1% |
| Branch County, MI | 16,759 | 5.2% |
| Ingham County, MI | 14,424 | 4.1% |
| Washtenaw County, MI | 13,623 | 3.0% |
| Kent County, MI | 12,928 | 2.4% |
| Columbia County, WI | 9,043 | 1.8% |
| Noble County, IN | 8,519 | 3.3% |
| Elkhart County, IN | 8,265 | 2.8% |
| Rock County, WI | 7,355 | 1.6% |
| Eaton County, MI | 5,350 | 1.5% |
| LaPorte County, IN | 5,298 | 1.4% |
| Miami County, IN | 5,239 | 2.2% |
| Portage County, OH | 4,812 | 1.5% |
| Summit County, OH | 4,753 | 1.8% |
| Cuyahoga County, OH | 4,709 | 1.6% |
| Trumbull County, OH | 4,658 | 1.2% |
| Allen County, IN | 3,499 | 0.8% |
| Williams County, OH | 3,392 | 1.3% |
| Geauga County, OH | 3,273 | 1.3% |
| Lapeer County, MI | 3,267 | 0.8% |
| Ottawa County, MI | 3,189 | 0.9% |
| Steuben County, IN | 3,188 | 1.6% |
| Lake County, IN | 3,184 | 1.0% |
| Huron County, OH | 2,696 | 0.9% |
| Erie County, OH | 2,507 | 1.5% |
| DeKalb County, IN | 2,416 | 1.0% |
| Lorain County, OH | 1,943 | 0.6% |
| Green Lake County, WI | 1,787 | 0.8% |
| Wyandot County, OH | 1,754 | 0.7% |
| Defiance County, OH | 1,664 | 0.6% |
| Green County, WI | 1,476 | 0.4% |
| Hillsdale County, MI | 1,317 | 0.3% |
| Ashland County, OH | 1,227 | 0.5% |
| Lake County, OH | 1,153 | 0.8% |
| Waukesha County, WI | 1,129 | 0.3% |
| Lenawee County, MI | 1,099 | 0.2% |
| Warren County, IN | 1,014 | 0.5% |
| Hancock County, OH | 997 | 0.3% |
| Clinton County, MI | 989 | 0.3% |
| Kosciusko County, IN | 827 | 0.2% |
| Mecosta County, MI | 811 | 0.2% |
| Fulton County, OH | 802 | 0.3% |
| Porter County, IN | 790 | 0.3% |
| Whitley County, IN | 747 | 0.3% |
| Carroll County, OH | 636 | 0.3% |
| Newaygo County, MI | 628 | 0.1% |
| Isabella County, MI | 608 | 0.2% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Oshtemo acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.4% |
| Very limited | 99.1% |
| Not rated | 0.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Oshtemo acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 5.8 feet (69 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 2–15% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.3%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 99.9% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| 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) | 99.4% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 0.2% |
| 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 | 0.4% |
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 Oshtemo (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 804,804 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Oshtemo components. The profile comes from the single largest Oshtemo component. Full methodology.