{"product_id":"cottontail-cover-patch","title":"Cottontail Cover Patch (11 Plants) | Spring 2027","description":"\u003cp\u003eA thick, thorny cover strip for cottontails, for small-game hunters in the Dakotas and Minnesota. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/sea-buckthorn-bundle-of-5\"\u003eSea buckthorn\u003c\/a\u003e for thorny cover, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/rocky-mountain-juniper-bundle-of-3\"\u003eRocky Mountain juniper\u003c\/a\u003e for evergreen cover, and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/golden-currant-bundle-of-3\"\u003egolden currant\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"mft-facts\"\u003e\u003ctable class=\"mft-facts-table\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWhat you get\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e11 plants: Sea Buckthorn (5, 3-5 ft.), Rocky Mountain Juniper (3, 8-15 in.), Golden Currant (3, 3-5 ft.). Bare root, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring 2027, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eHardy to\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eZone 2 (winters to about -50°F). Check your spot with our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/cold-hardiness-calculator\"\u003ecold hardiness calculator\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWhy these\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCottontails rarely feed more than 300 ft. from woody cover, and thorny shrubs make the best of it (Penn State Extension). Juniper woodlands are cottontail habitat (US Forest Service).\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eSea buckthorn and juniper come as separate male and female plants, and these are seedlings, so the sex of each one is unknown until it blooms. Plant them all together to give yourself the best odds of both.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow to Plant It\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlant a strip at least 15 ft. wide, with shrubs 3 to 6 ft. tall covering a fifth to half of the area, next to the grass or field edge rabbits feed in. Sea buckthorn suckers hard, which is the point here, but plant it where that's what you want.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKeep it away from your fruit trees.\u003c\/strong\u003e Rabbits girdle young fruit trees in winter, so don't put a rabbit patch next to your orchard, and guard every young trunk.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKeep junipers away from your fruit.\u003c\/strong\u003e Rocky Mountain juniper hosts cedar-apple rust and its cousin rusts, which also hit crabs, hawthorn, serviceberry, pears and mountain ash. University of Minnesota Extension says keeping junipers a few hundred yards away cuts the problem down, though spores can travel farther.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIs Planting This Baiting?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrowing plants is habitat work. Rules on fruit or nuts you pick, move or pile up vary by state, so check your state's hunting regs before you hunt over it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the full how-to (why these plants work, spacing, protection and timing), read our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/cottontail-rabbit-cover-planting-guide\"\u003ecottontail cover guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSee our other wildlife bundles on the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/wildlife-orchard-bundles\"\u003ewildlife orchard bundles\u003c\/a\u003e page.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003ePhotos: cottontail by \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Eastern_Cottontail_(Sylvilagus_floridanus).JPG\"\u003eThe High Fin Sperm Whale\u003c\/a\u003e (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Montana Fruit Trees","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45840799629378,"sku":null,"price":269.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0626\/5687\/2514\/files\/1920px-Eastern_Cottontail__28Sylvilagus_floridanus_29.jpg?v=1793317859","url":"https:\/\/www.montanafruittrees.com\/products\/cottontail-cover-patch","provider":"Montana Fruit Trees","version":"1.0","type":"link"}