Soil series profile
Smithdale soil series
Smithdale is a well drained soil with a sandy loam surface, mapped on 5,632,526 acres in 178 counties across 9 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained >99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 92% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.0
- Mapped area
- 5.6M acres in 178 counties, 9 states
Typical Smithdale profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–16 in (H1) | Sandy loam | 5.0 | 9% | 68% | 1.25% |
| 16–37 in (H2) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 26% | 57% | 0.25% |
| 37–80 in (H3) | Sandy loam | 5.0 | 20% | 66% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Smithdale soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Smithdale soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0. 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 92% of mapped Smithdale acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is fine sandy loam (60% of mapped Smithdale acres).
>99% of mapped Smithdale 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 94% of the acres in mapped Smithdale soils very limited, 2% somewhat limited and 2% not limited (1% 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 Smithdale soil is found
Mapped acres
Smithdale is mapped in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas, Oklahoma and Florida. The 60 counties with the most Smithdale acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 207,996 | 28.3% |
| Attala County, MS | 141,823 | 30.8% |
| Pickens County, AL | 136,737 | 26.5% |
| McNairy County, TN | 127,656 | 35.7% |
| Lafayette County, MS | 127,259 | 33.1% |
| Simpson County, MS | 124,042 | 34.8% |
| Tishomingo County, MS | 120,141 | 45.5% |
| Itawamba County, MS | 118,415 | 35.4% |
| Hardeman County, TN | 111,425 | 26.3% |
| Franklin County, MS | 111,193 | 32.7% |
| Lamar County, AL | 100,148 | 28.3% |
| Leake County, MS | 95,822 | 26.0% |
| Copiah County, MS | 95,311 | 19.5% |
| Perry County, AL | 92,366 | 22.8% |
| Yalobusha County, MS | 91,735 | 32.7% |
| Clarke County, AL | 91,515 | 13.1% |
| Clarke County, MS | 90,196 | 21.0% |
| Marion County, AL | 90,066 | 22.3% |
| Bibb County, AL | 89,472 | 25.3% |
| Henry County, TN | 83,035 | 23.2% |
| Amite County, MS | 82,696 | 19.1% |
| Choctaw County, AL | 81,926 | 16.0% |
| Marion County, MS | 80,002 | 24.0% |
| Smith County, MS | 79,558 | 19.9% |
| Carroll County, TN | 75,266 | 19.7% |
| Fayette County, AL | 67,883 | 19.4% |
| Rankin County, MS | 67,601 | 14.8% |
| Grant Parish, LA | 65,383 | 16.0% |
| Union County, MS | 65,132 | 25.8% |
| Montgomery County, MS | 64,481 | 27.1% |
| Wayne County, MS | 64,063 | 13.2% |
| Jefferson Davis County, MS | 62,915 | 26.3% |
| Benton County, MS | 62,698 | 25.1% |
| Jones County, MS | 61,561 | 14.5% |
| Winston County, MS | 59,705 | 15.6% |
| Union County, AR | 58,614 | 8.8% |
| Madison County, TN | 57,333 | 16.2% |
| Newton County, MS | 56,964 | 16.6% |
| Walthall County, MS | 56,598 | 22.2% |
| Kemper County, MS | 55,287 | 14.2% |
| Hale County, AL | 55,265 | 15.4% |
| Marengo County, AL | 53,541 | 9.7% |
| Henderson County, TN | 51,126 | 15.4% |
| Choctaw County, MS | 50,598 | 19.5% |
| Chester County, TN | 50,517 | 27.4% |
| Pearl River County, MS | 50,365 | 10.9% |
| Covington County, MS | 50,227 | 19.9% |
| Stone County, MS | 49,355 | 18.0% |
| Dallas County, AR | 48,381 | 11.5% |
| Perry County, MS | 48,378 | 12.0% |
| Autauga County, AL | 47,566 | 15.6% |
| Neshoba County, MS | 47,186 | 13.6% |
| Washington Parish, LA | 46,453 | 10.8% |
| Lawrence County, MS | 45,161 | 17.2% |
| Rapides Parish, LA | 44,940 | 5.4% |
| Carroll County, MS | 41,790 | 10.8% |
| Jasper County, MS | 40,272 | 9.8% |
| Prentiss County, MS | 39,729 | 16.3% |
| Lauderdale County, MS | 37,646 | 10.0% |
| Tippah County, MS | 36,887 | 13.3% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Smithdale acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 2.4% |
| Somewhat limited | 2.3% |
| Very limited | 93.9% |
| Not rated | 1.4% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Smithdale 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 7–29% (median 19%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 1.2%.
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) | 5.8% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 91.8% |
| C: slow infiltration | 1.0% |
| 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 | 1.4% |
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 Smithdale (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 5,632,526 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Smithdale components. The profile comes from the single largest Smithdale component. Full methodology.