Soil series profile
Pyote soil series
Pyote is a well drained soil with a fine sand surface, mapped on 558,072 acres in 7 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group A.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- A 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 7.2 neutral · range 7.2–7.2
- Mapped area
- 558k acres in 7 counties, 2 states
Typical Pyote profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–30 in (A) | Fine sand | 7.2 | 6% | 93% | 0.25% |
| 30–60 in (Bt) | Fine sandy loam | 7.5 | 13% | 71% | 0.25% |
What this means
What Pyote soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Pyote soils is neutral: pH 7.2, the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.
Sandy topsoil covers >99% of mapped Pyote 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 fine sand (68% of mapped Pyote acres).
100% of mapped Pyote acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
100% 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 Pyote soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 100% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Pyote soil is found
Mapped acres
Pyote is mapped in Texas and New Mexico.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Lea County, NM | 238,698 | 8.5% |
| Ward County, TX | 136,520 | 25.6% |
| Winkler County, TX | 80,949 | 15.1% |
| Crane County, TX | 42,365 | 8.5% |
| Loving County, TX | 38,048 | 8.8% |
| Chaves County, NM | 18,830 | 0.5% |
| Upton County, TX | 2,663 | 0.3% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Pyote acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 100.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 0.0% |
| Very limited | 0.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Pyote 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 1–3% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.3%.
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) | 100.0% |
| 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% |
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 Pyote (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 558,072 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Pyote components. The profile comes from the single largest Pyote component. Full methodology.