Walnut, Black, Bare Root

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Black walnut supplies distinctive nuts and a substantial native canopy. It fits a roomy woodland edge or farm planting where falling nuts and husks will not interfere with paths.

Key Characteristics

A harvest with a strong flavor

Kernels suit baking and cooking, but the hard shells require effort to crack. Hull promptly and wear gloves because green husks stain.

More than a nut crop

Leaves support luna moth and hickory horned devil caterpillars. Squirrels use the nuts, connecting the tree to woodland food webs.

Plan neighboring plants

Walnuts produce juglone, which can affect sensitive plants nearby. Keep vegetable beds away from the root zone and allow space for the expanding crown.

Product Details

• Native range / origin: Eastern and central North America
• Plant type: Deciduous perennial tree
• Sun: Full Sun; Part Sun/Shade; full sun is best for nut production.
• Soil moisture: Medium-Wet; Medium; Medium-Dry; Dry; see site guidance above.
• Mature height: 50–90 feet
• Bloom: April–May; Green, Yellow
• Fruit / seed: Strongly flavored edible kernels inside very hard shells; green husks stain hands and clothing.
• Harvest: Autumn
• Pollination: Wind-pollinated; planting multiple genetically different black walnuts improves opportunities for overlapping bloom and nut set.
• Hardiness: USDA zones 4–9
• Stock: 6-18" Seedling.

Planting and Ongoing Care

Keep bare roots moist until planting, spread roots naturally, and water thoroughly. Maintain a mulched area clear of grass, with mulch pulled away from stems. Base feeding on a soil test; our Tree Planting Kit fertilizer blend is optional and should be used according to its label, away from direct contact with bare roots.

Monitor young trunks and canopies for damage. Compare White Walnut / Butternut for a different native walnut with milder kernels and different disease considerations.

For ideas on combining planting layers, explore our fruit-tree guild guide. Give the nut tree's mature canopy and roots priority when arranging companions.