What kind of banana is it? If its a cold hardy Basjoo you could cut it a lot higher up & just mulch it really well. Main thing it protecting the corm/rhizome from freezing. Some people up north cut stalk 4 feet or more & use bags of leaves as mulch, cover with plastic or tarp fro winter & then in the spring pull it all out. I dig all my banana's up every year just for that added insurance they will not die over the cold winter, But I have a lot ofd tropical banana's that 40 degrees would kill. Its a full weekend digging them all up I have over 20 different kinds & multiples of most.

Bill

ok, so if i dig them up - how far do i need to go. i have a praying hands in which the stalk is bigger around than my thigh. i also have a (excuse the spelling) dwarf orcino that is big as well, but no where near as big. i have a couple of musa basjoo's that i planted a little later in the summer and are not as big as they should be however i feel like they are established. so how far do i dig? do i cut the stalks? how much do i cut the stalk from the ground? thanks for then info!

If you don't want to lose the height from these plants don't cut them dig them up. To dig them up just start about a shovels length from your plant and dig down about 2 ft on all sides then just keep working your way under the banana. Pot them up and bring them in.