The Rose Garden Nursery owner Kevin McGregor said it would have been better for both gardens and water conservation if residents had been able to water their lawns and gardens from 5am until 9am.

“I can understand 9am is a convenient time for people,” he said.

“But if you’ve got the heat of the sun blaring down while you’re sprinkling your lawn, it’s going to dry up all your water. The water won’t be able to get deep down into the soil.”

The call comes after Mount Isa City Council changed the water restriction rules last week.

As of September 22, residents will be able to use domestic sprinklers and unattended hoses from 6am to 10am and 6pm to 10pm.

These replace the previous times of 6am to 9am and 8pm to midnight.

Council said the time restrictions were in place to conserve water.

Mount Isa Deputy Mayor Les Bunn said while Mr McGregor had a valid point, the council would not reconsider altering the watering times.

“The decision was made after significant contribution from the community, especially to make life a little easier for our seniors,” he said.

“I think the nursery owner’s concerns are pretty valid but I don’t think it is an argument for us to not go along with what we decided.”

Mr McGregor said overall he welcomed the changes.

He said the new watering times were sufficient to maintain a healthy garden.

Mr McGregor said he watered his nursery’s lawns for only four hours a week.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s winter or summer,” he said.

“If you can’t grow a healthy garden and keep a healthy lawn with eight hours water every two days then you should give up gardening.”

Mr McGregor said the ideal time for gardeners to water their lawns was in the late afternoon and night.