branches dont really need cloning gel to branch, you can get away with planting clones directly in hydroponic medium such as rockwool.

lets say you have a 2×4 ebb and flow table, if you have rapid rooters (a must in any grow room) or rockwool cubes, you can plant the stem of a clone directly, without any additional chemicals, into the plug or cube, and within 10 days, as long as the clone is wet, will start growing roots at the bottom of the stem.. meaning you can leave the table on flood mode, and within 10 days or so you can start adding 1/2 strength nutrients

these clones dont need much light initially, and if you keep a clone under light for long enough it’ll grow roots like crazy, but these are good enough to start a good hydroponic garden, and i do believe if the soil isnt hot at all, you can plant branches in an indoor garden in soil, but it might be hard to gauge the roots

you may be able to reduce clipping leaves by leaving the clone under somewhat high lights, not too high as to burn it, but good enough, so photosynthetic rate meets up with internal cannabis metabolism of plant