Q.  Can you cut a cordyline like a dracinia and put into the ground to grow without roots? What are the chances of servival?

A.  If your cordyline is a cultivar of Cordyline friticosa you can put a cutting straight into the ground, it is best done in the warmer months.  Plant it in a shaded area and keep it well watered.

If your cordyline is a cultivar of Cordyline australis (New Zealand native species) it is probably not worth trying as they are very difficult to strike from cutting.