Is it possible that area has something buried there? Has it been contaminated with sawdust, and if so, what kind of wood? Have you used a fungicide in the area in the past year or so? Or have you used something like baking soda in that area for any reason? What do you know of has been done to that area in the past year (water, fertilizer, insecticide, herbicide, fungicide)? If your soil has been contaminated by the wrong thing, the only solution might be to replace the top 6 inches of soil. How big is the area and where do you live in Texas? Tilling, right off the bat, is the wrong answer. Aerating won't do any harm but might not do anything else, either. If you want to soften the soil I'd start with molasses, compost, and organic fertilizer. Dilute the molasses to about 3 ounces per gallon and drench the area. Then lightly dust some compost over it and apply a handful of dry dog, cat, or rabbit food (very good organic fertilizers). Water that for 30 minutes or so and repeat in 2 weeks. If that does nothing, then your soil is contaminated with something. I have an area which I inadvertently contaminated in about 1998 which is just now starting to grow grass. I'll tell you more after you answer the questions.

1. Be absolutely sure the soil surface drains properly, is settled (not fluffy), and is P-E-R-F-E-C-T-L-Y level (no little holes or hills). Think "putting green." Bermuda should be mowed at your mower's lowest setting so small surface imperfections result in scalping the grass. Keep the soil moist. Water it every day at least once. This will do two things. First of all it will help sprout weed seeds that you would not have seen under the bermuda sod. Secondly it will help the beneficial microbes living in the soil get established. I know you're wondering about fertilizer. Since you don't have roots to take up the fertilizer, that would be a waste of money and time. Don't fertilize until you have mowed the grass for the second time. After the sod is down, be sure your contractor rolls it down to get good sod-to-soil contact. Roots cannot grow through the air to reach the soil. If they don't roll it down, make a mental note not to use that contractor for anything in the future. Then go out and rent a roller from your local equipment rental or your nursery. Rollers can be filled with water to adjust the weight. All you need to do is push the sod down. 2. I'm an organic guy and have been for years, so I can't help you with this. If you wanted to use corn gluten meal as a preemergent, it goes down when the forsythia are in full bloom in YOUR neighborhood. 3. Check into Lesco brand fertilizers. If you are out in the country you might have to check with a tractor supply store. Feed stores seem to carry other odd brands but not Lesco. Don't even thing of using a fertilizer already mixed with weed control. These are called weed-n-feed. They have an inherent problem with timing. Weeds die best after they have been fertilized. Unfortunately when you apply the two products together, by the time the weeds are growing well enough to take up the herbicide, the herbicide is worn out or washed away. It is FAR better to fertilize with a real fertilizer, then two weeks later spot spray individual weeds with something like Weed-B-Gone. That way you are not spreading unneeded herbicide over the entire lawn. 4. The only place you will get good gardening advice locally is from a nursery that has been around for 10 years. These are usually family owned. It is the owners who have the experience, but remember, they are trying to sell you stuff that you may or may not need. Scotts is DEFINITELY selling stuff you don't need (weed-n-feed is a prime example). Your feed store is the next best bet for information. Or you can search this forum and other Internet forums for "bermuda" and "alabama" for more info.

Understand the point you're trying to make, but everything I've read suggests that the tree is tolerant of both acidic and slightly alkaline soils, clay, loam and sand. Not sure what the soil is like (everything else is doing okay), but it is well drained black dirt. Could chlorosis develop due to it being it's first year in that soil? Do trees adapt to soil conditions?

Shift the pantry down till it meets the breezeway. That gives you the opportunity for one more window, and possibly extend the cabinetry into the sunroom for party serving. Then the access to the sun porch isn't through the fridge/stove/prep sink hot zone. It would also let you put a door into the breezeway so groceries could be unloaded from the garage into the pantry rather than having to walk all the way around the kitchen and then through it. Put that secondary sink ON the island at the end facing the fridge and it will serve well as a prep sink or possible beverage sink for snacks. In the cabinet next to the fridge, put either a MW in a cubby or on a shelf below the counter. Frankly, I'd also be really tempted to put the cleanup sink in that location as well since only 20% of your time in a kitchen is spent cleaning up. Then I'd have the area under the window still have an actual beverage sink and under counter fridge to serve for gatherings.