# Per-element dosing

> Per-element dosing builds a feed from individual salts or single-element stocks so each nutrient can be set independently, such as cutting nitrogen without cutting potassium.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/per-element-dosing.html
- Also written: single-element dosing, per-element feeding, custom dosing, salt-based dosing, DIY nutrients
- Glossary category: Nutrients · Evidence: Grower practice
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Per-element dosing means mixing the nutrient solution from separate salts or single-element stocks, with each element's mg/L (ppm) set on its own, instead of dosing a pre-blended product. It is standard in commercial greenhouse hydroponics and increasingly used by home growers.

## In practice

Its main advantage is control. A bottled two-part scales everything together; per-element dosing can lower one element and hold the rest. The GenetixBay approach in late flower is to [taper nitrogen](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/nitrogen-taper.md) towards zero near the finish while keeping P, K, Ca, Mg, S and the micros fed, which means swapping [potassium nitrate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/potassium-nitrate.md) for [potassium sulfate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/potassium-sulfate.md) and part of [calcium nitrate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/calcium-nitrate.md) for [calcium chloride](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/calcium-chloride.md) or another N-free calcium source. Saloner and Bernstein found lower N in flower can raise cannabinoid and [terpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene.md) percentage while lowering total yield, a trade-off growers can now choose deliberately. It also lets growers correct for their water report. The cost is more maths and more containers.

## Don't confuse with

- **A/B nutrient**: two fixed blends dosed together.
- **Additives**: products stacked on a base, which add rather than adjust.

## Myth check

Taper nitrogen, don't [flush](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/flushing.md) (GenetixBay house position). See [the flush debate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/harvest-cure/flush-debate.md) and [per-element tricks](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/nutrients/per-element-tricks.md).

## Related terms

[Stock solution](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/stock-solution.md), [A/B nutrient](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/a-b-nutrient.md), [ppm of an element](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/elemental-ppm.md), [Potassium sulfate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/potassium-sulfate.md), [Calcium chloride](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/calcium-chloride.md)

## Read more

- [Per-element feeding tricks: what growers adjust, stage by stage](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/nutrients/per-element-tricks.md)
- [Hydroponic salts explained: what each fertiliser salt supplies](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/nutrients/hydroponic-salts.md)

## Sources

1. Saloner A, Bernstein N. 2021. Nitrogen supply affects cannabinoid and terpenoid profile in medical cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.). Industrial Crops and Products 167:113516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2021.113516
2. Sonneveld C, Voogt W. 2009. Plant Nutrition of Greenhouse Crops. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2532-6
3. Bugbee B. 2004. Nutrient management in recirculating hydroponic culture. Acta Horticulturae 648:99-112. https://www.ishs.org/ishs-article/648_12