How to Splice Bean Plants

Select two young bean plants of the same or different varieties. When splicing different varieties, choose ones that display similar characteristics, such as height and rate of growth.

Scrub your work area with soap and hot water. Rinse the surfaces with diluted bleach water that contains 1 tsp. of bleach and 9 tsp. of water. Use this disinfecting solution to sanitize your razor blade, toothpick and pruning shears.

Prune off the top of one bean plant, cutting the main stem from the plant about 3 inches above the surface of the soil. Discard the cut portion of the plant. Snip off any leaves that grow below the cut. Make a slice in the top of the cut stem with your razor blade. Holding the blade vertical, insert it down into the center of the stem, making a cut that measures approximately ½ inch deep. Insert the wide end of the toothpick into the gap, holding open the splice.

Select two young stems from the other bean plant. Choose stems that measure approximately 2 inches long. Hold your razor at a sharp angle to cut the stems from their parent plant, creating a cut surface that measures about ½ inch long.

Insert the two cut stems into the gap on the other bean plant, placing one on each side of the toothpick. Gently hold the inserted stems in place while you slide out the toothpick. Wrap the spliced area with florist's tape to hold the graft together.

Place your bean plant in a sunny location, out of wind and drafts. Keep the soil slightly moist around the plant's roots. Watch for the spliced stems to begin forming new leaves. After two new sets of leaves emerge from the grafted portion, remove the florist's tape by carefully cutting through the tape while holding the stem gently in place. Avoid pulling at the tape or jerking the stem. With adequate sunlight and water, your grafted plant should continue its life cycle, forming blossoms and seedpods.