Composting and/or using chopped blackberries

Question

I have wild blackberries in my garden that grow like crazy: They grow under the earth, over the earth with offshots - and possibly via seeds - I don't know, I just started gardening. I cut a lot of them and put them into a chipper. Can I put the chipped material (is it called mulch?) on a compost heap or will even the chipped blackberry material grow into blackberry bushes? If I cannot put the blackberry on the compost heap - what should I do with the material instead? One idea is to spread it out and have it dry by the sun. Not sure if that helps for killing the material and/or making the composting faster. Is there a smarter way to use the material.

Answer 1

They will stop growing when their connection to the roots in the ground is removed. If you chip them and compost them properly, you should be fine.

For eradication you've got 3 options that don't involve chemicals:

1. Complete removal of all below-ground roots and rhizomes - Since this is in a garden it might not be viable. Even if it is, you probably won't get them all the first time around, but it will be effective fairly quickly.
2. Vigilant removal of above ground material - the idea here is to remove the plant's ability to produce energy and feed the roots and rhizomes. Over time you will starve and kill the plant. This may be less disruptive to the garden, but if you leave too much above ground the blackberries may be able to produce enough energy to support expanded growth.