Ni ŝprucigas akvon sur foliojn kaj metas sterkon en la substraton.

Ŝprucigi is the -ig- form, which often means to cause something to happen.

• ŝpruci = to spurt / spray / squirt
• ŝprucigi = to make something spray, or to spray something

So:

• Ni ŝprucigas akvon = We spray water
  • literally, something like we cause water to be sprayed

In practice, this is a normal way to express spraying water in Esperanto.

Because akvon is the direct object of ŝprucigas.

In Esperanto, the direct object usually takes -n:

• Ni ŝprucigas akvon = We spray water
• Ni metas sterkon = We put fertilizer

So both akvon and sterkon have -n because they are the things being acted on.

This is a very common question. Here, the -n is not for direct object. It is the directional accusative.

With prepositions like sur (on) and en (in), Esperanto can use -n to show movement toward a place rather than simple location.

So:

• sur folioj = on leaves
• sur foliojn = onto leaves / to the leaves

In this sentence, the water is being sprayed onto the leaves, so sur foliojn makes sense.

For the same reason as sur foliojn: -n can show direction or movement into a place.

• en la substrato = in the substrate
• en la substraton = into the substrate

Because the fertilizer is being put into the substrate, Esperanto uses en la substraton.

Yes.

There are two uses of -n here:

1. Direct object

   • akvon
   • sterkon

2. Direction / motion toward

   • sur foliojn
   • en la substraton

That is something English speakers often need time to get used to, because English does not mark these with an ending.

Because Esperanto uses la only for something definite or specific.

So:

• akvon = water, some water
• foliojn = leaves, some leaves / leaves in general
• sterkon = fertilizer, some fertilizer

But:

• la substraton = the substrate

This suggests that the speaker has a specific substrate in mind, probably one already known from the context.

Yes, it could, if you mean the leaves specifically.

Compare:

• sur foliojn = onto leaves / onto the leaves in a general sense
• sur la foliojn = onto the leaves, a specific known set of leaves

Both are grammatically possible. The version without la sounds more general.

Because foliojn means leaves.

The plural ending in Esperanto is -j:

• folio = leaf
• folioj = leaves
• foliojn = leaves, with accusative -n

So the full ending breaks down like this:

• foli- = root
• -o = noun
• -j = plural
• -n = accusative / direction

Here kaj simply connects the two verb phrases:

• Ni ŝprucigas akvon sur foliojn
• kaj metas sterkon en la substraton

The subject ni applies to both verbs:

• We spray water onto leaves
• and put fertilizer into the substrate

Esperanto often avoids repeating the subject when it is the same.

Not if you want the same meaning. That version would be confusing, because sur foliojn and en la substraton would no longer clearly match the right actions.

The original sentence is clear because each verb has its own complement:

• ŝprucigas akvon sur foliojn
• metas sterkon en la substraton

Esperanto allows flexible word order, but clarity still matters.

Yes.

The ending -as marks the present tense in Esperanto:

• meti = to put
• metas = put / puts / are putting / is putting

And the same is true for ŝprucigas:

• ŝprucigi = to spray
• ŝprucigas = spray / are spraying

Because the subject is ni, the sentence means we spray and we put.

Usually yes, if the action is happening now or is a general/habitual action.

So Ni ŝprucigas... kaj metas... can mean things like:

• We are spraying... and putting...
• We spray... and put...
• We spray... and place...

Esperanto present tense is often a little broader than any one single English present-tense form, so context decides the best translation.

It breaks down like this:

• Ni = we
• ŝprucigas akvon sur foliojn = spray water onto leaves
• kaj = and
• metas sterkon en la substraton = put fertilizer into the substrate

So the pattern is:

Subject + verb + object + place/direction + and + verb + object + place/direction

That makes it a good example of how Esperanto builds clear, compact sentences.