Curing not-on-grade slab

I was reading about curing concrete today and am wondering if a 2 in. not-on-grade interior slab should be covered for the initial period after being poured (if so, how long?) to slow the moisture removal. I'm definitely not an expert, but I found some tables that make it appear to me that in the initial curing stage, it's best for the moisture to be released very slowly, to ensure more strength in the finished concrete. Is this correct?

My slab was poured and left alone, uncovered, for about three days before it was stained, then sealed 11 days after the pour. When sealed with a non-breathable sealer, I imagine the moisture release was greatly slowed down (but well after the pour and first few days of moisture release, re my previous paragraph), but my understanding is this can actually be good for concrete (true?)--other than that it caused white blooms everywhere and also caused the sealer to disappear, that is--but good for the concrete slab itself.