why do I get lots of leaves but no fruits or flowers?

I have an enclosed deck which is south facing. Watering is automatic.It does get very hot out there.Lots of things grow, but I get barely any fruits or flowers. Last year, no grapes at all, and no figs at all. Already I have fig leaves, but no figs. Tomatoes didn't do too well last year, either. And I had plenty of scarlet runner and long bean vines, but no beans.nasturtiums seem to do well. My lemon trees are up to the roof, but never so much as a flower. Why is that? And another question: Is it possible to grow avocadoes in Vancouver? My trees are pretty sturdy, and already a few years old, but again, no flowers or fruit. Thanks

 

If the area is enclosed does this mean that pollinating insects have no access to your plants? Might be the answer.
Margaret

 

I bet that's it.

 

How does that explain the fact that there are no figs, and never have been any flowers on the lemons? SInce the figs come out before the leaves, and the lemons would have had to have flowers before they could be pollinated, wouldn't they?

 

Hi again. Point about the flowering well taken. My fig trees are out of doors and fruit very well so I cannot speak to indoor trees. My orange tree is kept indoors during the winter and is outdoors in summer. It only had two flowers on it last year, neither of which became fruit. Somewhere in my memory I think that someone wrote on this site that oranges needed a period of cool termperatures in order to flower. Hope that someone who knows citrus/lemon well will jump into the discussion.
Margaret

 

When your plant is in the new seasons foliage stage, feed with a fertilizer that is higher in nitrogen.
Stop the high nitrogen fertilizer when the plant first blossoms and switch to a fertilizer that has a higher phosphorous and potassium ratio.
Use a water soluble fertilizer. You can choose an organic or a synthetic fertilizer.
Personally I use a fish fertilizer made by Alaska that I pick up from the garden center.
Also, different plants have different requirements.
Searching Google with your plant name + fertilizing may give you back some helpful information.
As for avocado, I am on Vancouver Island. My avocado trees do great with little attention. I have not had any fruit yet.

 

...quit fertilizer altogether :). Just put on some nitrogen-neutral mulch or low-nutrient compost. Overfertilizing, especially with nitrogen, is something I have been guilty of in the past, particularly with shrubs, trees & perennials. In fact I only use mulch/compoast now, except for a few leafy vegetables. Lots more flowers in my yard & a lot less staking.

gb

 

Could be a bunch of things going on, not necessarily one all-encompassing reason. Are your lemon trees from seed? Might take years to blossom from seed, so maybe they're not old enough. I agree about holding off on the fertilizer, or at least going easy on the nitrogen; ditto for the watering, particularly for the fig. A fig that is overwatered and overfertilized will grow lush vegetation, but little or no fruit. I'll third the bet that the lack of beans and tomatoes is due to a lack of pollinating insects in the enclosure; unless, of course, you've had good yields in the same space in previous seasons (wouldn't entirely preclude the possibility that this was the reason regardless, but mitigates it somewhat).

 

It is far too easy and a most common mistake to over fertilize. Always use care when working with fertilizers.

Potassium deficiency can cause fruit to not develop properly.
Potassium encourages a healthy flower and fruit set.
Phosphorus encourages healthy roots and blooms whereas
Nitrogen encourages vegetation (before blooms).
Normally, at signs of first blossoms, cut back on the nitrogen and choose a fertilizer that has a higher ratio of Phosphorus and Potassium with lower Nitrogen, at that point, if one chooses to go the fertilizing route.
Too much Nitrogen can result in a tall leafy plant but without any fruit at all.

Since you don't seem to have any problem with foliage, I would not feed a high nitrogen ratio of fertilizer.
Instead try a potassium enrichment. This maybe all you need.

I agree that with a soil that is built up with good amendments, such as compost and a manure, one can indeed can achieve an amazing garden, without the use of organic or synthetic fertilizers.
If using a well rotten manure, add some bone meal to achieve a good nutrient balance.

Since the plants are ceasing to go to fruit, my first thought was the appropriate fertilizer ratio, focusing on the Potassium and Phosphorus. .

As for lack of beans and tomatoes, once you get some blossoms, one can try using fruit set, should the bees not be pollinating for you.
Planting flowers in the garden that attract birds and bees can help encourage the pollinating process as well.

There could be a number of reasons as said by woodschmoe.
Different plants have different requirements as far as types of soil and watering regimes but also light and temperatures.

How big are your patio pots and how frequent are you watering? How much water is being administered at a time?

Over watering can ave an adverse effect.
One landscaper I know barely waters his personal plants. I am amazed at how beautifully his flower gardens do as well as his indoor tropical's because the soil seems to me to be so dry although his plants are flourishing. He is not into fertilizers so much but heavy on a decent quality top soil and perlite and peatmoss.
Maybe ease up on the water some. Allow the soil to dry out between watering but not to the extent that your plant is beginning to stress.

Sphagnum is great in that it holds water and releases it as your plants need it. Result is having to water far less frequently plus giving your soil decent aeration which our plants need in order to take up as much nutrients as possible.

Testing your soil for PH and Nutrients may help give you an idea of your plants environment as well as a better idea as to what steps to take, if necessary to amend the soil if needed.

By doing some research, you can find what each of your plants need to thrive and perform as per your expectations.