I'm curious to know what are some good ways to propagate Walnut from seed. I found a woman locally that gave us a couple seeds (including shell) of Juglans neotropica, the Andean Walnut. She might be able to get us more, and I would really like to have this tree growing on our property. I've read that it should do OK here, even though it would prefer a little cooler temperatures.
I've read some literature suggesting to remove the shell before sowing in the nursery. I really don't want to risk removing the shell, and rotting the kernel. Perhaps an alternative would be to sand the shell with sand paper just to file away a couple millimeters.
Another concern about growing in the nursery is the root system. Do you think the roots would get knoted and/or pot-bound? Does it have a huge taproot? Would it be better to just direct sow in the final location out in the field, by burying it under a small mound of compost and sawdust?