Prefers moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in full sun. Intolerant of shade. Difficult to transplant because of deep taproot. May be grown for its edible nuts. Although young trees will sometimes begin producing nuts when only 4-6 years old, it usually takes 20 years before a tree will produce a large crop of nuts.

Potential diseases include anthracnose, bacterial blight, root rot, canker, leaf spot shoot dieback. Watch for aphids, fall webworm and a variety of foliage chewing caterpillars. Black walnut roots produce chemicals called juglones which are very toxic to certain other plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, peonies and solanaceous crops (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes). Most of the toxicity is limited to within the drip line of the tree, but the area of toxicity typically increases outward as the tree matures Nuts can be quite messy in fall. Husks can stain clothing and sidewalks