I have a problem with my citrus trees in my front yard. I will say that they have decent ventilation as they aren't crowded together but they are a little untidy looking (because my mom won't let me prune them because she "doesn't believe in pruning"). By the way, I'm 18 and I love gardening so I enjoy learning etc. about the subject. Both trees are in total sunlight I would say, as there are no towering trees or anything. I don't think that's the problem though because I have another lemon tree in my backyard and it has absolutely no problems except with bugs but I can just spray for that and virtually no problems. (Also I have another question... I've had that tree in my backyard for about 15 years and it has no thorns but my new trees have VICIOUS thorns... But one is a lemon tree so does that have to be "bred" out of the tree?) Okay back to my issue. Both trees are young, I would say not more than two years maybe? I have these weird swirly white rings on the leaves. They crinkle up and occasionally we will have a small bunch of healthy leaves but there is overwhelming amount of these ugly leaves. Some of them are totally white/greay, wrinkled and eventually a few holes that look like someone stuck a cigarette through it. I think I'm going to post a pic of the whole tree later and ask for advice on how to prune it... My mom gets extremely angry every time I cut off anything from any plant and it's quite frustrating. I am including pictures of the diseased leaves. Keep in mind most of the tree looks like this, not just a few leaves.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a192/ragingbullm/DSCF3460.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a192/ragingbullm/DSCF3459.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a192/ragingbullm/DSCF3458.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a192/ragingbullm/DSCF3457.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a192/ragingbullm/DSCF3456.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a192/ragingbullm/DSCF3455.jpg

Thanks in advance for any help...

Your tree's leaves have citrus leaf miner. They do make the tree look bad, but do not do all that much damage to the tree's health. Most commerical growers do not even treat for leaf miners. The lemon tree in your back yard must be a Eureka Lemon (the common store lemon), which do not have thorns. You can type the words "leaf miner" in the search box on this forum, and read a lot of information on citrus leaf miners. - Millet

Your mother is correct about pruning citrus trees. You should not prune citrus, as pruning will greatly reduce fruit production. Research has shown that any cut to a young tree reduces root growth. This is due to the equilibrium between foliage and the root system. Pruning is either practised very rarely or not at all. A citrus tree grows to a pleasing harmonious shape on it own, it's their habit. - Millet

Even in the young stages of the tree? I mean it is not even producing fruit yet and I heard that such a young tree would take years and years before it produced fruit. Both trees had these humongous shoots that grew out the middle and shot straight up and I read in a pruning book that something like that would stunt fruit growth. Is any pruning toa fruit tree okay? I mean I am not expecting fruit from either tree anytime soon and I'm assuming they were both grown from a seed. Would that be beneficial to it if I pruned it properly and in the right season? I'm just really wondering because they look very lopsided right now. I will post pictures tomorrow, I would do it now but it is night time....

Oh yes and sorry about typing about the bug problem... I just read the other threads and realized this is a quite common problem... I was here about a week ago and didn't see any so I posted today thinking there was still nothing... Sorry about that! But thanks, you are very helpful and intelligent, Millet.

Ragingbullm, I would be very surprised that anyone living in a warm state that is able grow citrus outside would ever plant a tree that was grown from a seed. However, if indeed it is a seedling tree, pruning would delay fruiting. A citrus tree produces blooms/fruit only after it has produced the required number of nodes (you can think of nodes in terms of leaves). Pruning reduces the node count, therefore delays or eliminates the tree from blooming. Suckers should only be kept if they occupy free spaces. After a few years they bear fruit, but all interior suckers MUST be cut. - Millet