Cycling uncured live rock with or without skimmer

[Quagmire]

On my next tank I plan on establishing the sand bed first,with planted refuge,and skimmer in place before adding the rock.The theory is the sand bed will bio filter with the skimmer and refuge chem filtering,along with water changes.When the rock is cycled I'll stop skimming to see if I need it.Thats the theory anyways I hope it works.
I think if you cycle for a month before skimming you may have to do alot of water changes if you want to preserve as much life as possible.