I don't know which Cycad you have, but their care is pretty much the same. The most common one is the Sago Palm and it is readily available. Did you know that there is a Cycad variety that is so rare, every single plant that has been propagated was obtained from a single plant found in the wild? Yes, there has been only one found - ever! Anyway, I will start from the end of your questions rather the the first ones. You can leave your plants, bare-root for a pretty long time, so a day won't matter a bit. Oh, did you know that Cycad is one of the oldest families of plants known, over 300 million years old. Some varieties are known to live for more than 1000 years! I grow staghorn ferns and I thought they lived a long, long time (100+ years). Cycads have lived through thick (dinosaur age) and thin (ice age), where few other species have survived.
Cycads tolerate high temperatures and drought well but will not survive long-duration frosts or freezes. If I were planting a "baby" Cycad, I would make a mix of 1/3 potting soil (NOT with fertilizer added), 1/3 sand or pea-gravel, and 1/3 coarse perlite. Plant them with their "wooly/hairy" part above the soil line, with only the roots under the soil. Firm the soil gently and water with 1/2 strength 20-10-10, or something similar that has more nitrogen than phosphorus and potash. You can really pot them in anything you wish, particular when they are small. The main thing is that the soil is extremely well draining and the pots have lots of drainage holes. Some Cycads like full sun, some like full shade, and some like partial shade, so it just depends on what you have. In any case, I would put your young plants in shade, perhaps just getting a couple of hours of early or late afternoon sun, and in an area that the temperature remains above 50 F. After a few weeks of this "special" treatment, put them outside (mild temperatures, still) in whatever amount of sun they prefer. Water them only when the top 2-3" of soil feels dry and don't fertilize again until early fall, again with 1/2 strength fertilizer. Most of these plants grow very slowly, thus their need for little water and practically no fertilizer. As they grow and their root system expands, they will tolerate more water. Ken
