Coir pellets are the tidiest way to start seeds. No heavy bags of compost, no trays of little pots, no mess on the windowsill. You drop a flat disc into warm water, it swells into a neat peat-free pot, and you sow straight into it.

Here’s how to get good results from them, from the first soak to planting out.

What are coir pellets?

Coir pellets are compressed discs of coconut fibre (coir), a waste by-product of the coconut food industry. Coir is light, airy and holds water well, and it’s free from pests, diseases and weed seeds, which is why it works so well for delicate seedlings. It also means no digging up peat bogs.

Our coco coir plant starter pellets (36mm, pack of 50) are wrapped in FSC approved paper, which keeps each pellet together as it swells and then rots down in the soil. They come in a compostable bag and a cardboard box, so there’s no plastic in the packaging either.

What you need

Not much. Your coir pellets, a waterproof tray or container, warm water, your seeds, and somewhere bright and frost-free such as a windowsill, greenhouse or heated propagator. A clear lid or a clear bag over the tray helps with germination.

Step by step: starting seeds in coir pellets

1. Soak the pellets. Stand as many pellets as you need in a waterproof tray, then pour warm water into the tray. DO NOT water the tops of the pellets or it may cause the compost to spill out. Add the water a little at a time rather than flooding the tray. Give them 15 to 30 minutes until they’ve swollen fully.
2. Drain any extra water. The pellets should feel damp, not dripping. Tip away any water left in the tray so the bottoms aren’t sitting in a puddle.
3. Sow your seeds. Small seeds such as lobelia or begonia can be pinched onto the surface. Larger seeds such as tomatoes, courgettes, French marigolds or brassicas go in one per pellet, pushed in to about twice their own depth.
4. Cover and keep warm. Put a clear lid or bag over the tray and keep it somewhere bright but out of harsh direct sun. Take the cover off once the seedlings appear.
5. Keep them moist. Never let the pellets dry out, but don’t leave them soggy either. Water a little at a time from below by adding it to the tray, and check every day or two.
6. Plant on. Once roots are showing at the edges and your seedlings have a couple of true leaves, plant the whole pellet into a pot or into the ground. The paper wrapper rots down, so there’s no need to take it off, and the roots aren’t disturbed.

Using coir pellets for cuttings

Pellets are just as handy for cuttings. Soak them the same way, then take a non-flowering shoot, strip the lower leaves and push the base into the pellet. Cover the tray to keep the air humid and keep the pellets damp while roots form. Plenty of summer favourites root well this way, including fuchsias, geraniums and verbena. For more on taking cuttings, have a look at our guide to taking plant cuttings from annual plants.

Common mistakes to avoid

Overwatering is the big one. Coir holds a lot of water, so a soaked pellet sitting in a flooded tray can rot seedlings before they get going. The opposite problem is letting the pellets dry out, which can stop seeds in their tracks, so check the tray daily.

The other one is leaving seedlings in the pellet too long. A pellet is a starter, not a permanent home. Once the roots have filled it and the plant has a few true leaves, pot it on or plant it out.

Quick questions

Do I take the paper off? No. Plant the pellet whole, paper and all. The wrapper rots down in the soil.

Can I use them indoors? Yes. Coir pellets are clean and odourless, with no spilled compost, so they suit a kitchen windowsill as well as a greenhouse.

What are they best for? Seed sowing and cuttings. For big, hungry plants like tomatoes, use the pellet to get them started and pot them on into compost as they grow.

Where to get them

You’ll find our 36mm coco coir plant starter pellets, pack of 50, in the shop. Every e-pots product is tested and photographed in our own garden, so we know they work.