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Coir pellets vs peat pellets: still on sale in England

Updated: 21 October 2026

You are trying to avoid peat, and a search for coir pellets vs peat pellets still shows both on amazon.co.uk. The short answer is that a retail ban on horticultural peat for England was announced and, as of the sources below, is not an Act in force. You can still be sold a peat pellet. If you want coir, the bag has to say so. The packs we compared are in the [seed starting pellets comparison](/hub/herb-seeds/seed-starting-pellets), with prices from 19 October 2026. Peter F. wrote this from those listings and public UK sources. We did not test a disc in a lab, and a qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are trying to avoid peat, and a search for coir pellets vs peat pellets still shows both on amazon.co.uk.

Our top picks

e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)

Best overall

e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)
9.1/10about £16.99
View offer
GOTVUGE GOTVUGE (30 mm, pack of 100)

Alternative

GOTVUGE GOTVUGE (30 mm, pack of 100)
7.0/10about £12.20
View offer
Lawei Lawei (30 mm, pack of 200)

Best value

Lawei Lawei (30 mm, pack of 200)
7.9/10about £15.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What England has and has not banned
  2. 2.Coir and peat in a pellet
  3. 3.When the title and the bag disagree
  4. 4.What a biodegradable net allows you to say

What England has and has not banned

On 27 August 2022 the government announced that the sale of horticultural peat to amateur gardeners in England would end, with a 2024 date in that news. The announcement was not the ban taking effect. The RHS, on 19 October 2025, said the legislation had stalled. A Defra letter of 29 January 2026, DEP2026-0072, says the government will legislate when parliamentary time allows. None of those documents makes a peat pellet on amazon.co.uk illegal. The Plant Starter Pellets bestseller list on 19 October 2026 included a peat Jiffy-7 as well as coir products. That does not mean coir germinates better.

Coir and peat in a pellet

Peat is the bog material that announcement was aimed at. Coir is coconut fibre. The RHS coir note, which is not a test of these ASINs, says washed coir is often under 500 microsiemens, can hold about ten times its dry weight in water. Poorly washed coir can carry salts. That is not a salt reading for GROWEASY or Lawei, whose listings do not give one. Feed is separate from the fibre. The RHS keeps seed compost low in nutrients because a strong feed can harm seedlings. The e-pots 20-pack says coir contains no nutrients. GROWEASY says the pellets feed delicate seedlings. Neither prints an analysis. Coir avoids a peat bog. It is not impact-free.
e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)

Testsieger

e-pots e-pots (36 mm, pack of 100)
9.1/10about £16.99
View offer

When the title and the bag disagree

Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11, says goods must match the description. A coir title on a peat bag is a description problem. GOTVUGE is titled as 100 coir pellets at 30 mm, £12.20, with 4.1 from 141 reviews. Several verified UK reviews say the packaging says peat and call the description misleading. Do not write that the contents were proved to be peat. If you ordered coir, photograph the label and use the returns route. Mr Fothergill's 35 mm refill says organic materials and does not name coir or peat, so peat-free is not stated. Several coir listings never print peat-free either. A coir material field is stronger than a bog sentence, and weaker than a bag you have read. Diameter and wrap, once the medium is one you accept, are on the seed starting pellets buying guide.

What a biodegradable net allows you to say

Biodegradable mesh is a different claim from the fibre. Jiffy describes a PLA net as EN 13432, industrial composting, not a home bin or a border. Weciau says its mesh is biodegradable and cites no standard. A Lawei reviewer said the netting does not biodegrade particularly well. CAP Code rules 11.1 and 11.2 require an environmental claim to say what it means. If roots cannot leave the sleeve, slit it, which is on how to use coir pellets.

Common questions

Are peat pellets illegal in England?
No. Defra announced an amateur retail ban on 27 August 2022 with a 2024 date, and that ban was not enacted on that date. The RHS said on 19 October 2025 that the legislation had stalled. A Defra letter of 29 January 2026 says the government will legislate when parliamentary time allows. An England announcement does not settle Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Does peat-free on a listing mean the bag is peat-free?
Only if the bag repeats it. Several listings in this set never print peat-free. They name coir, or they contrast the product with digging bogs. GOTVUGE's title says coir and UK reviews say the bag says peat. Mr Fothergill's refill says organic materials and does not name either fibre. Read the packet.
Is coir better for germination than peat?
This set does not show that. There is no germination trial behind the star lines. The RHS describes washed coir as low in nutrients and able to hold a lot of water, which is useful in a seed plug if you drain it, and risky if you leave it soggy. Choose coir because you want to avoid peat, not because a review score proved a higher germination rate.
Do coir pellets contain salt?
They can, if the coir was poorly washed. The RHS says washed coir is often under 500 microsiemens. That figure is general guidance, not a reading from GROWEASY, e-pots, Weciau or Lawei. None of those listings prints a conductivity number. If seedlings scorch at the seed-leaf stage in a brand-new plug, salts are one possible cause, and a different batch or a known seed compost is the practical next step.
Does the net compost at home?
Do not assume it does. EN 13432, which Jiffy cites for a PLA net, is an industrial composting standard. It is not a promise that the sleeve disappears in a home bin or in garden soil. Other listings say biodegradable without a standard. A UK Lawei review said the netting does not biodegrade particularly well. If roots are trapped, slit the sleeve.
What if the bag says peat and the title says coir?
Stop and read the label before you sow. On GOTVUGE, several verified UK reviews describe exactly that mismatch and call the Amazon description misleading. Section 11 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires goods to match the description. Photograph the bag, tell the seller, and use the returns process if you ordered coir. We did not lab-test that pack.

Related pages

Best plant starter pellets

Seed starting pellets

Seed starting pellets UK: what to check before you buy

Seed pellets for herbs: start them on a UK windowsill

How to use coir pellets without drowning the seeds

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these seven listings were read on 19 October 2026. Page updated 21 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK: sale of horticultural peat to be banned, 27 August 2022 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. RHS: retail peat-free note, 19 October 2025 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. DEP2026-0072, letter of 29 January 2026 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. RHS: peat-free seed sowing (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. RHS: coir questions answered (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. RHS: grow your own basil (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. CAP Code 11.1, environmental claims (retrieved 19 October 2026)