OK, I give......what the heck is Earth Food? What's on the label? I can't find anything on the internet about a product you would apply in a layer like a mulch. I am only aware of their fertilizer product.

It comes in a 30 lb bag for $5.00. It says "ERTH" food natural organic fertilizer compost. On back it says Guaranteed analysis 1.5 - 0.5 - 0.5.

It then says Erth food is a rich, living, natural, organic fertilizer compost. It releases it's nitrogen slowly over a sustained period of time which helps prevent burning and the leaching of nitrogen into the water supply. It acts as a sponge to hold water and retard the loss of moisture in the soil.

Erth food for use with trees and shrubs: Increases growth- grows fuller, greener shrubs. It acts as a soil conditioner as well as fertilizer. Repeated use of it eventually elimnates the need for artificial checmcal fertilizers. 6.8 ph - no significant addition or detraction from acidity or alkalinity of soils. It serves as fertilizer and mulch.

Several people at the nursery some employee's and some customers say that my azaleas will love me for it. I hope their right.

You could get some Hollytone and do the same (it is also all natural). ;-)

If you happen to have any oak trees around, by all means use those leaves (preferably shredded) and mulch with that.

Erth Food and pine needles are enough. The spelling helped, I didn't find it when you mentioned it a few days ago either. ("Completely decomposed, so it won't rob the plants of vital nitrogen used in feeding ")

Your mulching sounds fine with what you've already done. If you wanted to compost your grass clippings and add those in Fall, that would be good too...

Erth food does not sound like a substitute for mulch, so I would use both. Erth food sounds like a substitute for fertilizer so don't apply any additional fertilizers, I guess.

If they love you for it, how will you know? (smile)