Maybe some of the die back is due to the time of year when they will be dying back naturally

Catherine, I lived in Marietta for 9 years. I really understand the climate. What I would recommend is to basically remove most of the pinestraw and then water when the babies need it. I think you are overwatering and it's killing your seedlings. Just a thought.

@florange
I can try that, I will wait until this bad weather moves thur tomorrow thou. I only water then every 4 to 7 days depending on the ground moisture, I always check that before watering them.

@duskhunterma that could be the problem also, but the weather here is still in the mid 80s, we do have a cold front moving thur tomorrow thou.

To late for this crop, but for future reference (everyone has a different opinion and technique, but this has worked well for me)

Use a specialized seed starter mix - I have used Espoma Organic Seed Starter mix with great success.
Use pots composed of cow manure (called "cow pots") or some such thing that will decompose in the soil. No need, then, to remove the seedlings from their comfy home.
I always put my seedlings into potting soil in a growers pot, or any pot I have on hand, until they are well established. This reduces the likelihood of over watering and eliminates any issues regarding soil composition and fertilizer - at least for the first year. (I have bee pod seedlings that, until I re-potted them recently, were still in their original potting mix, and bloomed two years in a row.)

Good luck

@daverme
Yesterday when I was looking for pots online for my other seeds, I seen the cow pots, and was wondering how well they worked, how long have you used them, how long can you keep them in the cow pots before they need to be planted outside since they will start to decompose?

This will be my third year of using them, and the first time using miniature pots. The way I have used them has been different each of those three years. Using 3" or 4" pots you can probably water the seedlings without getting the pots to wet and they will last longer indoors. This year I am using miniature puts - about the same size as those in your photos. I watered them about every other day on average. They were soaked most of the time and when I went to pot them up they were falling apart.

I germinated the seeds in seed starter mix in the miniature pots and then, when my instinct told me it was time, I potted them up in potting mix. I did not keep track of the time that took but it was on the order of a month.

The key to using cow pots (or peat pots) is that the roots never have to be disturbed.