Black Walnut seeds can be sown in the ground either in a seed bed, with about 20-25 viable seeds/square foot. or where you eventually want the tree to grow. (preferred if possible) Animals love the nuts so some type of protection should be put in place such as hardware cloth over the ground until the seeds begin to germinate in the spring. Do not do this unless you know there will be 4 months of temperatures below 40 Degrees Farinheight before spring.
The seeds can also be artificially stratified in plastic bags with equal amounts of moist perlite packed around them. They should be refrigerated for 4 months. This method should be used by most growers because if an area should expect 4 months of cold temperatures before spring the ground is probably frozen in December. Check the seed at least every 2 weeks in stratification to see if the moisture is right and if any mold forms or any germination occurs. We first introduced this article because Black Walnut Tree Seed was Suggested for planting in December and repeated it in Treestalk Thursday, Facebook and it was very popular. Black Walnut ( Juglans nigra) is one of the most acclaimed and unique species of all the hardwoods. Extensively planted for its nuts, lumber and for ornamental purposes it is found over the eastern United States and as far west as Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas.
