Soil series profile
Tifton soil series
Tifton is a well drained soil with a loamy sand surface, mapped on 1,861,670 acres in 75 counties across 3 states. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 99% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 95% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 6.0 moderately acidic · range 5.5–6.0
- Mapped area
- 1.9M acres in 75 counties, 3 states
Typical Tifton profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–11 in (Apc) | Loamy sand | 6.0 | 7% | 84% | 0.75% |
| 11–22 in (Btc1) | Fine sandy loam | 5.5 | 20% | 71% | 0.5% |
| 22–40 in (Btc2) | Sandy clay loam | 6.0 | 27% | 64% | 0.25% |
| 40–50 in (Btv1) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 28% | 64% | 0.12% |
| 50–60 in (Btv2) | Paragravelly sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 30% | 62% | 0.12% |
| 60–65 in (BCt) | Sandy clay | 5.0 | 35% | 57% | 0.1% |
| 65–80 in (C) | Sandy clay loam | 5.0 | 30% | 63% | 0.1% |
What this means
What Tifton soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Tifton soils is moderately acidic: pH 6.0 (most land between 5.5 and 6.0). Many vegetables grow well here, and some gardens benefit from a little lime. Test before adding any.
Sandy topsoil covers 83% of mapped Tifton 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 sand (83% of mapped Tifton acres).
100% of mapped Tifton 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 99% of the acres in mapped Tifton 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 Tifton soil is found
Mapped acres
Tifton is mapped in Georgia, Alabama and Florida. The 60 counties with the most Tifton acres:
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Colquitt County, GA | 103,546 | 34.0% |
| Worth County, GA | 93,564 | 29.5% |
| Brooks County, GA | 78,228 | 29.1% |
| Thomas County, GA | 72,884 | 24.6% |
| Turner County, GA | 66,378 | 41.9% |
| Irwin County, GA | 61,978 | 31.2% |
| Mitchell County, GA | 57,332 | 20.6% |
| Sumter County, GA | 57,150 | 20.7% |
| Bulloch County, GA | 54,196 | 14.0% |
| Grady County, GA | 54,073 | 22.4% |
| Laurens County, GA | 52,590 | 11.7% |
| Tift County, GA | 49,166 | 32.0% |
| Crisp County, GA | 48,335 | 32.0% |
| Tattnall County, GA | 46,440 | 17.0% |
| Burke County, GA | 44,403 | 9.6% |
| Terrell County, GA | 44,242 | 22.1% |
| Dodge County, GA | 43,071 | 15.7% |
| Lowndes County, GA | 42,881 | 14.7% |
| Wilcox County, GA | 39,058 | 18.3% |
| Lee County, GA | 38,127 | 18.4% |
| Early County, GA | 37,630 | 12.6% |
| Miller County, GA | 35,180 | 21.8% |
| Toombs County, GA | 35,139 | 16.7% |
| Seminole County, GA | 34,468 | 25.5% |
| Coffee County, GA | 33,085 | 8.7% |
| Dooly County, GA | 33,035 | 14.8% |
| Emanuel County, GA | 32,836 | 8.4% |
| Berrien County, GA | 32,030 | 11.2% |
| Telfair County, GA | 30,875 | 12.4% |
| Cook County, GA | 26,811 | 20.4% |
| Candler County, GA | 26,269 | 19.6% |
| Montgomery County, GA | 25,181 | 18.1% |
| Baldwin County, AL | 24,320 | 2.5% |
| Ben Hill County, GA | 23,536 | 16.7% |
| Pulaski County, GA | 21,862 | 16.1% |
| Wheeler County, GA | 21,046 | 12.2% |
| Decatur County, GA | 17,490 | 5.5% |
| Bleckley County, GA | 16,010 | 13.5% |
| Evans County, GA | 15,517 | 15.1% |
| Appling County, GA | 14,775 | 4.5% |
| Pierce County, GA | 13,660 | 6.3% |
| Washington County, GA | 13,009 | 3.5% |
| Dougherty County, GA | 12,276 | 6.2% |
| Wayne County, GA | 11,600 | 2.8% |
| Treutlen County, GA | 11,428 | 9.8% |
| Jenkins County, GA | 11,152 | 5.6% |
| Jackson County, FL | 10,403 | 1.8% |
| Escambia County, AL | 9,444 | 1.8% |
| Calhoun County, GA | 8,946 | 5.5% |
| Twiggs County, GA | 7,595 | 3.5% |
| Johnson County, GA | 7,276 | 4.4% |
| Gadsden County, FL | 6,915 | 2.1% |
| Jefferson County, GA | 6,707 | 2.3% |
| Lanier County, GA | 6,250 | 5.1% |
| Bacon County, GA | 5,630 | 3.1% |
| Atkinson County, GA | 4,335 | 2.0% |
| Jeff Davis County, GA | 4,040 | 1.9% |
| Baker County, GA | 4,029 | 2.1% |
| Santa Rosa County, FL | 3,512 | 0.5% |
| Macon County, GA | 2,818 | 1.3% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Tifton acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 1.0% |
| Very limited | 99.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Tifton acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- About 4.1 feet (49 in) (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 1–4% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.8%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 98.7% |
| Moderately well drained | 1.3% |
| 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 | 94.7% |
| C: slow infiltration | 5.3% |
| 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 Tifton (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 1,861,670 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Tifton components. The profile comes from the single largest Tifton component. Full methodology.