So I think the problem is the inability to grow out of the rootball. Plants are strange - some would have no problem bulldozing their way but others are easily discouraged.
I always break the rootball apart to form the upside down V. That way, you may rip a couple roots but you aren't cutting all the roots. Sometimes it take some effort to get the rootball apart but I think you now know the benefits.
I hope you aren't discouraged. This is the time you replant the Hawthorne or come up with a whole new idea.
