It's been a few days and they are really coming out nice. I like the appearance of the straw. Looks clean and tidy. Plus, it does add a little protection for moisture loss.
I did something similar on a greenhouse grow. I had no straw but the woods provided me lots of pine needles bedding. Definitely helped evaporation in the 7gal pots. Temps in that greenhouse often exceeded 100+. How the hell I grew cannabis in that is a mystery...but I did and they flourished. It was a summer of battling the elements, bugs, and heat related stress..lol. Never Again!