Deja drenar el agua antes de abonar y pulverizar.

Deja is the tú imperative of dejar, so it is giving an instruction to one person in an informal way: let / leave.

In Spain, this is very common in instructions that sound friendly or direct.

Other possible versions would be:

• Deje drenar... = formal singular (usted)
• Dejad drenar... = informal plural in Spain (vosotros)
• Dejen drenar... = formal plural, or plural in many Latin American varieties (ustedes)

So deja tells you the sentence is addressing one person informally.

Here, dejar + infinitive means to let something happen or to leave something to do something.

So:

• Deja drenar el agua = Let the water drain / Leave the water to drain

This is a very common Spanish structure:

• Déjalo enfriar = let it cool
• Déjame pensar = let me think
• Deja secar la pintura = let the paint dry

So the sentence is not saying you drain the water manually; it is saying allow the water to drain before doing the next steps.

Because drenar means to drain, while secar means to dry.

That difference matters:

• drenar = liquid flows away or is removed
• secar = become dry

So Deja drenar el agua means the water should run out / drain away, not that everything should become completely dry.

In a gardening context, this usually suggests letting excess water escape before the next treatment.

Not necessarily. Spanish often uses the article where English might be more flexible.

Here, el agua means the water in the practical sense: the water involved in this situation, probably the excess water after watering.

So it does not have to mean one very specific, previously mentioned water. It can simply refer to the water that is there.

Also, agua is a feminine noun, but in the singular it normally takes el instead of la for sound reasons:

• el agua
• el águila

But it is still feminine:

• el agua fría
• mucha agua

Yes, abonar has several meanings, and that often confuses learners.

Common meanings include:

• to fertilize or to manure plants/soil
• to pay money into an account
• to subscribe or sign up in some contexts

In this sentence, because the context is clearly gardening or plant care, abonar means to fertilize.

So:

• antes de abonar = before fertilizing

This is a good example of how context decides the meaning.

Here pulverizar means to spray, usually as a fine mist.

In plant-care instructions, it often refers to spraying:

• water
• fertilizer
• pesticide
• leaf treatment

So abonar y pulverizar means something like fertilize and spray.

Depending on context, pulverizar may imply spraying the plant’s leaves or applying a product with a spray bottle.

Because after antes de, Spanish normally uses the infinitive when the subject stays general or is understood.

So:

• antes de abonar y pulverizar = before fertilizing and spraying

This is the standard pattern:

• antes de comer = before eating
• antes de salir = before leaving
• antes de regar = before watering

If Spanish uses a full clause with a different subject, then it often changes to:

• antes de que + subjunctive

For example:

• Hazlo antes de que anochezca = do it before it gets dark

But in your sentence, the infinitive is the natural choice.

Yes. Antes de governs both infinitives.

So:

• antes de abonar y pulverizar = before fertilizing and spraying

Spanish does not need to repeat de:

• antes de abonar y pulverizar
• not normally antes de abonar y de pulverizar

The single de covers both actions.

Yes, very possibly.

Spanish instructions often omit objects when they are obvious from context. In a gardening sentence like this, the omitted object might be something like:

• la planta
• las plantas
• la tierra
• las hojas

So the full idea could be something like:

• before fertilizing the plant and spraying it
• before fertilizing and spraying the plants

Spanish often leaves that unsaid if the reader already knows what is being treated.

They are similar, but not always identical.

• rociar = to sprinkle / to spray
• pulverizar = to spray as a fine mist, atomize

In plant-care contexts, both can be used, but pulverizar often sounds a bit more like spray in fine droplets, especially with a spray bottle or sprayer.

So they overlap, but pulverizar can feel slightly more technical or specific.

Yes. A very literal breakdown is:

• Deja = leave / let
• drenar = drain
• el agua = the water
• antes de = before
• abonar = fertilizing
• y = and
• pulverizar = spraying

So a literal version would be:

• Leave the water to drain before fertilizing and spraying

A more natural English translation might be:

• Let the water drain before fertilizing and spraying

Both reflect the Spanish structure well.

This is a very common learner question.

Agua is grammatically feminine, but in the singular it takes el instead of la because la agua is awkward to pronounce.

So:

• el agua
• el agua fría

Notice that the adjective is still feminine: fría, not frío.

In the plural, it returns to the normal feminine article:

• las aguas

So the noun’s gender does not change. Only the singular article changes for pronunciation reasons.