Hi
I can't belive not even one person answered you. It suck i have the same problem, well with out the bugs. Mine is the same size as your pics I need to know when to they get fruit?????? did you ever found out?

Cece. I'm not sure your lemon has insects..the holes are pretty large for most plant bugs, at least bugs I'm familiar with.
What state are you in? And what state was your tree purchased from?
I'm in IL, and during summer when citrus go outdoors, flying bugs come fluttering by..every so often, they nibble leaves, but by autumn all signs of insects are gone. The bad thing is they leave holes, the good thing is bugs die in days, and do not linger and kill like plant pests.
To be on the safe side, inspect for bugs. Scale, Mealy, Spider Mite, Aphids, Leaf Miner..I'm not sure I covered them all, but those mentioned are insects to worry about.
Normally, when insects attack, they leave signs. Yellow and/or sticky leaves, webbing, brown or white bumps, white cottony patches.
I notice most rips are on the edges of leaves..Is it possible something is rubbing up against your tree? Human or animal? By the size of the tree, it'd have to be one animal..When a leaf rips it commonly browns.
For starters, hose off your lemon..if you have a sprayer, add a 2-4 drops of liquid dish soap. (Not Dawn) But before spraying, check for signs of pests. If you spot any signs of plant insects, you can treat according to bug.

As for flowering/fruiting, when a plant is stressed, it sometimes halts production..Actually, until you find out what's causing the problem, lack of fruits might be best. Flowering/fruiting takes energy. Toni

I know your question was posted a while back, but I just came across it. I would say that it could be one of three things: 1.Snail(s). They like to come out of hiding when no one is watching and have a feast. Then, they retreat.
2. Leafeminers. They are larvae of bugs that leave white shiny trails on the leaves. I've noticed that they tend to form a hole where the the squiggly lines are pretty close together. 3. You've sprayed with an oil on a hot day (the heat burn the leaves). With 1. Just sprinkle pet-friendly snail bat. With 2. Get sticky traps specifically for this, or buy an organic spray that won't hurt your fruit 3. Never spray/treat leaves until the evening... or early, early, morning.

To prevent bugs, don't over water. Once established, just water deeply ON OCCASION, or when the weather is very, very hot....

Not an expert. Just speaking from experience.

As far as fruit goes, Most citrus like limes, lemons, and oranges blooms in late winter and early spring. They will set fruit at that time. The fruit usually ripens in fall into winter depending on the variety.

Charles

hi all i kinda got couple w/that problem too...
Hopefulauthor i'm in same zone where r u located i'm in southern IL..just curious

I have a problem with my new Key Lime plant. It seems like the same as your problem, but it's mostly the curled leaves, and no one answered that part

Well, it looks like wind and heat damage to me. The leaves on the lower branches look perfectly healthy. The damage appears to be confined to the top and outer leaves-the ones that would be most likely to get whipped around by a hot wind. If it was bugs the pattern would be random, snails would be working their way up, aphids and most of the other pests named above would attack the tender new growth leaves only.

I'd pinch off the affected leaves and see if any more develop. If the tree is in an area where it's protected from high winds and excessive direct and reflected heat you shouldn't have any more problems with it.

As far as blooming and setting fruit, most lemons and limes can bloom and set fruit year round if they are getting enough nutrition. Although both seem to prefer the Spring for their primary bloom season so the fruit ripens in the heat of summer. I have a lime and a lemon and both of them develop a few blooms after a good feeding, but I don't encourage out of season fruiting so I just pinch them off. Cheryl