My guess on #2 is he was saying to cut down the plants to a 4" stem after a frost. But if you don't get frosts?? How cold does it get there in the winter? Maybe you can leave them in the ground for a year or so.
#3. Some people do this , some do not. It is sort of a preventative, preemptive strike 'just in case' rot or fungus should strike. I didn't do it this year.
I didn't see Frank's original instructions so these are just guesses.
