Last year, we bought Shady Nooks and just threw it out on the ground without much in the way of preparation - and our soil isn't that good... A mix of Georgia clay, moss, and fungus... It's a very wooded lot. Doing such a half-hearted job, we figured it wouldn't take or die... Lo and behold, not only did it take, it survived. I didn't buy that much last year, as I was just kind of experimenting. I bought and used another brand of grass seed from the store in another section of the lawn. That section isn't looking so good. So, I am going to buy more Shady Nooks and finish the job right this year.