Soil series profile

Pickton soil series

Pickton is a well drained soil with a loamy fine sand surface, mapped on 289,899 acres in 19 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group A.

#1191 by mapped area loamy Grossarenic Paleudalfs (Alfisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: A
Typical topsoil pH: 6.5
Mapped area: 290k

Typical Pickton profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Pickton horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–8 in (H1)	Loamy fine sand	6.5	8%	83%	1.25%
8–50 in (H2)	Loamy fine sand	6.2	8%	83%	0.55%
50–80 in (H3)	Sandy clay loam	5.5	24%	58%	0.55%

Representative values from the most extensive Pickton map unit (Pickton loamy fine sand, 1 to 8 percent slopes, survey area TX213). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Pickton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Pickton soils is slightly acidic: pH 6.5, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Sandy topsoil covers 96% of mapped Pickton 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 loamy fine sand (85% of mapped Pickton acres).

100% of mapped Pickton acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.

For lawns and yards

96% 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 0% of the acres in mapped Pickton soils very limited, 96% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (4% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).

Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Pickton soil is found

Mapped acres

Pickton is mapped in Texas and Oklahoma.

Counties with the most mapped Pickton soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Henderson County, TX	102,539	18.5%
Leon County, TX	64,765	9.5%
Smith County, TX	52,554	8.9%
Van Zandt County, TX	26,810	4.9%
Freestone County, TX	21,500	3.8%
Wood County, TX	5,864	1.4%
Hopkins County, TX	5,167	1.0%
Titus County, TX	3,164	1.2%
Franklin County, TX	2,255	1.2%
Atoka County, OK	1,547	0.2%
Rains County, TX	1,304	0.9%
Harrison County, TX	915	0.2%
Nacogdoches County, TX	611	0.1%
Rusk County, TX	295	0.0%
Anderson County, TX	258	0.0%
Morris County, TX	160	0.1%
Panola County, TX	106	0.0%
Houston County, TX	60	0.0%
Camp County, TX	25	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Pickton acres

Not limited 0%

Somewhat limited 96%

Very limited 0%

Not rated 4%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Pickton acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Pickton acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	0.0%
Somewhat limited	95.9%
Very limited	0.0%
Not rated	4.1%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Pickton acres

Depth to seasonal high water table: About 4.9 feet (59 in) (median where reported).
Flooding: Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope: Typically 3–12% (median 5%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 1.2%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained 100%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Drainage class across mapped Pickton acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Pickton acres.
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

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 96%

B: moderate infiltration 0%

C: slow infiltration 0%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) 0%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Not rated 4%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Pickton acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Pickton acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	95.9%
B: moderate infiltration	0.0%
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	4.1%

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 Pickton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 289,899 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Pickton components. The profile comes from the single largest Pickton component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Pickton.