The Living Hoe is a tool added by Roots. Unlike regular hoes, it will heal over time; each tick, it will have a 1/80 chance to restore one point of durability (so there is about a 22.25% chance of at least one point of durability being restored every second).
Your rituals are capable of channeling life energy into previously dead objects. Using this, you can grow newer, stronger forms for your wooden tools. Adding a little gold for reinforcement, as well as a verdant sprig to grow upon, will grant you tools of similar strength to iron that repair slowly over time.