Tree lot care cards: 1 quart of water per inch of stem, as clips
The National Christmas Tree Association says a stand needs 1 quart per inch of stem diameter. Turn its care rules into three captioned clips for about $0.66.
The National Christmas Tree Association tells buyers to use a stand that holds 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter, to check the water daily, and to make a fresh cut removing about a half inch of trunk before the tree goes into the stand. A tree lot can turn each rule into one short captioned clip and hand customers a QR code instead of a leaflet. Three such clips cost $0.66 on Sume at the flat trim and caption rates.
The rules, as the association states them
These come from the association's care page. Use its wording for the numbers and avoid adding your own, such as a day count for how long a tree lasts, which the page does not give.
| Rule | What the page says |
|---|---|
| Fresh cut | remove about a 1/2-inch disk from the base |
| Stand size | 1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter |
| Daily check | water level must not drop below the base of the tree |
| Time before uptake stops | most species still take up water 6 to 8 hours after cutting |
| Heat | keep away from fireplaces, heaters, vents, direct sunlight |
One rule per clip
Film one 60-second take at the lot: a tree on the saw, the stand, a hand checking the water, a tree beside a vent. Cut three clips from it with video trim, each 8 to 10 seconds. A clip that tries to teach all five rules teaches none.
Silent clips suit a lot: no staff need to be on camera, and viewers watch with sound off. Burn the rule as a caption with cues, which carries your exact words and timing without speech-to-text.
- Clip 1: the fresh cut. Caption: "Cut about 1/2 inch off the trunk before it goes in the stand."
- Clip 2: the stand. Caption: "1 quart of water per inch of stem diameter."
- Clip 3: placement. Caption: "Keep it away from heaters and vents. Check the water every day."
Build the set
Run three trim jobs, then three caption jobs. Each caption job reserves and captures $0.20 for clips up to 60 seconds, which these are. If you want a single 30-second care video instead, join the three trims in Timeline 1.0 with audio.mode set to silence, which renders at $0.10 per output minute.
Put the QR code on the tag and on the stand tag so that the clip is in a customer's hand at the moment they are tying the tree to the car roof.
| Option | Jobs | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|
| Three separate clips (3 trims, 3 captions) | 6 | $0.66 |
| One joined 30 s clip (3 trims, render, 1 caption) | 5 | $0.36 |
| Three clips plus the joined cut, reusing the trims | 8 | $0.96 |
What not to say
The page does not say how long a tree stays fresh, and it advises removing a tree after Christmas or when it is very dry. Say no more. If you want to warn about fire risk, link to the fire authority's own page rather than paraphrase a statistic you have not read.
Sources
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Written by Sume