Soil series profile
Tatum soil series
Tatum is a well drained soil with a gravelly loam surface, mapped on 525,463 acres in 40 counties across 4 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 74% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 5.0 very strongly acidic · range 5.0–5.2
- Mapped area
- 525k acres in 40 counties, 4 states
Typical Tatum profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–6 in (H1) | Gravelly loam | 5.0 | 20% | 42% | 1.25% |
| 6–25 in (H2) | Clay | 5.0 | 40% | 30% | 0.25% |
| 25–42 in (H3) | Weathered bedrock | Not reported | 0% | Not reported | 0% |
What this means
What Tatum soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Tatum soils is very strongly acidic: pH 5.0 (most land between 5.0 and 5.2). 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 100% of mapped Tatum acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is loam (30% of mapped Tatum acres).
100% of mapped Tatum 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 47% of the acres in mapped Tatum soils very limited, 53% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Tatum soil is found
Mapped acres
Tatum is mapped in Alabama, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Clay County, AL | 83,347 | 22.9% |
| Cleburne County, AL | 72,072 | 25.0% |
| Cherokee County, SC | 52,537 | 21.0% |
| Appomattox County, VA | 39,254 | 20.9% |
| Louisa County, VA | 31,808 | 11.4% |
| Campbell County, VA | 31,011 | 10.3% |
| Lynchburg city, VA | 31,011 | 10.3% |
| Gaston County, NC | 28,637 | 13.7% |
| Talladega County, AL | 28,172 | 6.8% |
| Fluvanna County, VA | 25,792 | 16.5% |
| Halifax County, NC | 14,070 | 3.4% |
| Chilton County, AL | 10,978 | 2.8% |
| Spotsylvania County, VA | 9,976 | 4.5% |
| Lunenburg County, VA | 9,867 | 4.2% |
| Granville County, NC | 7,175 | 2.2% |
| Mecklenburg County, VA | 6,775 | 2.0% |
| Goochland County, VA | 6,435 | 4.3% |
| Shelby County, AL | 5,956 | 1.4% |
| Franklin County, NC | 4,452 | 1.4% |
| Union County, NC | 2,686 | 0.7% |
| Nash County, NC | 2,620 | 0.8% |
| Person County, NC | 2,541 | 1.1% |
| Wilson County, NC | 2,186 | 1.0% |
| Durham County, NC | 1,837 | 1.0% |
| Stanly County, NC | 1,803 | 0.8% |
| Brunswick County, VA | 1,776 | 0.5% |
| Cleveland County, NC | 1,616 | 0.6% |
| Davidson County, NC | 1,149 | 0.4% |
| Edgefield County, SC | 1,098 | 0.3% |
| Richland County, SC | 899 | 0.2% |
| McCormick County, SC | 886 | 0.4% |
| Tallapoosa County, AL | 872 | 0.2% |
| Saluda County, SC | 864 | 0.3% |
| Anson County, NC | 807 | 0.3% |
| Greenwood County, SC | 614 | 0.2% |
| Vance County, NC | 600 | 0.4% |
| Cabarrus County, NC | 575 | 0.3% |
| Coosa County, AL | 481 | 0.1% |
| Rowan County, NC | 198 | 0.1% |
| Richmond County, NC | 29 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Tatum acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 53.3% |
| Very limited | 46.7% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Tatum 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 5–23% (median 11%).
- 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 | 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) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 74.4% |
| C: slow infiltration | 22.9% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 2.7% |
| 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 Tatum (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 525,463 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Tatum components. The profile comes from the single largest Tatum component. Full methodology.