Several years ago I put some dormant cutting directly into the soil. It has been a long time ago but I'm pretty sure a few rooted and eventually made productive plants. I put about 8" into the soil and 2 buds above the soil level. As you already know root cuttings is the way to go.

Last year I cut raspberry & blackberry plants and tossed the tips onto the ground. I was surprised when they started rooting in the ground laying on their sides. They were dormant when I cut them...

Pruned off broken primocanes on some Kiowas that I was moving to another location last year, cut the canes into 18" sections and buried them, and an angle with a couple of buds above ground level, in a trench I dug in the woodchip pile - well-rotted chips that had been there at least 2-3 years. Don't think any rooted. Guess if new shoots start popping up this spring, I'll find out...

This post was edited by lucky_p on Sat, Jan 3, 15 at 9:05