What do I do to get the lawn looking nice this spring? If you have thatch (a layer of dead material beneath the grass on the ground over ½ thick), rake the dead material up and remove it. You can get a dethatcher to pull behind a mower to pull up this dead material.
If you have areas that will not grow a decent layer of grass, you might have soil compaction. Compaction does not allow the water and oxygen to get into the soil to allow root growth. You can buy an aerator that removes soil plugs and scatters the plugs on top of the ground. The cheaper is to use a hand aerator for small areas.
Overseed in sparse areas with suitable grass seed.
Fertilize in mid to late May when the grass “wakes up”. This prepares the lawn before the heat and dryness of summer come.
If you have a crabgrass problem, treat it with a crabgrass preemergent around the time when the lilacs bloom. This is when the soil warms and the crabgrass seeds germinate.
For the perennial weeds like dandelions, use an herbicide spray for the better kill. A weed and feed are good if you apply it correctly. The weed surface has to be damp for the weed and feed chemicals to work.