Question: I have never called into your radio show as I have several unrelated questions.

1. This year my tomatoes did real well then about August all the foliage began to turn brown, the tomatoes grew to maturity but there was no new growth into the fall. One neighbor said they turned brown because of the amount of moisture this summer. Another neighbor said it was a disease. I would appreciate your insight.

2. I have several Azaleas, one of them has started to die. Should I cut off the dead parts or take out the whole plant? What do you feed Azaleas?

Answer: 1. Both are right, I believe your tomatoes were infected with a fungus called late blight. This cool, wet season was perfect for late blight and it was prevalent in many tomato crops. To help prevent recurrence next year, clean up and destroy all fallen tomatoes and old plants. (If you grew potatoes, after harvest, also destroy the plants and discarded potatoes). If you can, next year plant tomatoes in a different place, where you grew neither potatoes nor tomatoes this year. At the first sign of disease next year, spray with Daconil 2787 if you wish. Repeat weekly as long as the weather stays moist.

2. I don’t have enough information to help you much with your Azalea problem. Certainly you can cut off totally dead branches. Azaleas should be fed with Cottonseed Meal and Kelp Meal at the end of November and again in early spring.

2. I planted a Passiflora vine this summer and it did great. What an unusual blossom and how sweet the fragrance. Does it require any special treatment this fall to help it overwinter? What about fertilize and when?

3. My Knockout Roses are still blooming beautifully. They are quite tall and need a good shaping. Am I correct that the time to do it is late winter or early spring? I have 3 of them - best investment I ever made in my perennial garden. Many Thanks.

2. Mulch with 2 to 3 inches of shredded wood mulch. Feed in the spring with Plant-Tone and Kelp Meal. I am presuming you have the hardy passion flower (incarnata).

Answer: The best time to feed everything in your garden, except plants that have trouble going to sleep for winter like crape myrtles and roses, is in late November. Be sure to use a fertilizer rich in natural organics; otherwise many of the nutrients may be leeched away by the winter rains and snows. The reason why I don’t encourage feeding in October is even some plants that don’t have trouble going to sleep may be stimulated into a late autumn growth and be much more subject to winter damage.

Question: Last week you covered how to store my summer blooming bulbs, but the questioner didn’t ask about Caladiums. Mine are in pots.

Answer: Caladiums need to be stored warm and dry. You can just move the pots to a dark, warm place and withhold water until mid-February. Then you can start watering with Seamate and move them to the warmest place you can find. I have used the top of the water heater, the top of the refrigerator and the top of the furnace. Be sure to check for water daily. Caladiums do not need to be moved to a lighted place until the leaves emerge, at which time you should begin daily misting. If your Caladiums had been planted directly in the garden you could have stored them in a tray of dry peat moss and then potted them in mid-February in a very light professional mix—one that is almost all peat moss. Did you know that if you plant the Caladium tubers upside down they will have smaller leaves but many more of them? If space is a problem you can start to water the Caladiums while they are in the trays of peat moss and you do not need to pot them until the roots start to show. There is nothing wrong with starting the caladiums in a 4 inch pot and moving them to a 6 inch pot part way through the spring. Be sure not to put the Caladiums outside until the temperature is warm and stable.