obrienforensics

I am a newbie to bananas and to NC zone 7b and planted in 5/08 what are supposed to be 4 Dwarf Orinocos. (One is about 2-3' taller than the other 3, so I have some doubts about her.) BTW - where do you measure for height? The highest leaf point's reach or where the leaves stop coming out?

I do not want to overwinter under the house. I have not found a thread that clarifies for this literal brain how high off the ground I am supposed to cut off the pseudostem to mulch around it with some sort of supporting barrier and leaves/hay/or and burlap/or and top it of with cans/pots/bubble wrap/or.

I also do not feel clear on whether I am supposed to insulate the pups with the Mom until spring or dig them out now and then what do I do with them? 7b - Insulate and overwinter with Mom? Plant them outside now or pot them with no light under house or pot them with light in sunroom?????

Bubble wrap has come up with + and - as insulation. Bw's neg seems to be the moisture factor and our days can stay very warm
(50-65) most of the winter so that sounds pretty rot and mold supporting to me, but 19' for 3 nights killed 75% of the peach crop last spring! If bw is only on the top and the sides are breathing through pine straw or hay, wouldn't the bw still be a good insulating thing?

Am I cruising the edge of disaster by not having this structure at the ready now. We are not likely to have a killing frost for another month, but it is likely to go into the 40s at night.

Can anyone give me some pointers?
Obie