Another tip for others is I use a small battery operated shop vac to remove all the water in the tank and toilet before I start. I used to use a hand suction gun but small shop vacs are cheap now days and work great!
I never split the tank and bowl waste of time. They are often rusted and you need to sawzall them. I have removed hundreds of toilets and never broken the tank by keeping them together. I always caulk the toilet to the floor and leave a small opening in the rear. And the first thing I would do...
Most big national companies only give you a warranty if you also pay them to camera the line as well, but if the camera shows something bad then you still get no warranty:(
Anyway back to the original problem the roots, yes he pulled some out and yes he poked a hole in the blockage to get you...