Drying out isn't good for plant roots. It adds to the stress of collecting. In the future, when you collect a plant, keep these points in mind
- gather as much of the available root as possible (fine roots are more important than thick big ones)
- Keep roots out of the sun
- Carry a misting bottle to wet the roots occasionally
- Avoid bare-rooting collected trees - conifers especially, unless absolutely necessary
- Wrap the collected root ball in damp sphagnum moss, wet newspaper or burlap and tie together with twine to keep the root ball intact. Then put this in a garbage bag or other polyethylene bag. for transport.
Healthy pines can be pretty durable, so there is some chance that the tree survived despite the drying out period. It really depends on how dry it got, how much root you have, and what the species is.
We've had success with bougainvillea, boxwood and wisteria that had been left for days at the side of the road, but these plants have exceptional regenerative capabilities.
Hope this helps.
Matt