diff --git a/lib/types/array.js b/lib/types/array.js
index 294c9894059..3d4abf600b9 100644
--- a/lib/types/array.js
+++ b/lib/types/array.js
@@ -344,13 +344,25 @@ MongooseArray.prototype.shift = function () {
 };
 
 /**
- * Removes items from an array atomically
+ * Removes items from an array atomically.
  *
  * ####Examples:
  *
  *     doc.array.remove(ObjectId)
+ *     doc.array.remove({ _id: 'someId' })
+ *     doc.array.remove(36)
  *     doc.array.remove('tag 1', 'tag 2')
  *
+ * To remove a document from a subdocument array we may pass an object with a matching `_id`.
+ *
+ *     doc.subdocs.push({ _id: 4815162342 })
+ *     doc.subdocs.remove({ _id: 4815162342 }) // removed
+ *
+ * Or we may passing the value directly and let mongoose take care of it.
+ *
+ *     doc.subdocs.push({ _id: 4815162342 })
+ *     doc.subdocs.remove(4815162342); // works
+ *
  * @param {Object} [args...] values to remove
  * @see mongodb http://www.mongodb.org/display/DOCS/Updating/#Updating-%24pull
  * @api public
diff --git a/lib/types/documentarray.js b/lib/types/documentarray.js
index 09e6be1ceeb..570019ec18c 100644
--- a/lib/types/documentarray.js
+++ b/lib/types/documentarray.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ var MongooseArray = require('./array')
   , driver = global.MONGOOSE_DRIVER_PATH || '../drivers/node-mongodb-native'
   , ObjectId = require(driver + '/objectid')
   , ObjectIdSchema = require('../schema/objectid')
+  , utils = require('../utils')
   , util = require('util')
 
 /**
@@ -56,8 +57,17 @@ MongooseDocumentArray.prototype.__proto__ = MongooseArray.prototype;
  */
 
 MongooseDocumentArray.prototype._cast = function (value) {
-  if (value instanceof this._schema.casterConstructor)
+  if (value instanceof this._schema.casterConstructor) {
     return value;
+  }
+
+  // handle cast('string') or cast(ObjectId) etc.
+  // only objects are permitted so we can safely assume that
+  // non-objects are to be interpreted as _id
+  if (Buffer.isBuffer(value) ||
+      value instanceof ObjectId || !utils.isObject(value)) {
+    value = { _id: value };
+  }
 
   return new this._schema.casterConstructor(value, this);
 };
diff --git a/test/types.array.test.js b/test/types.array.test.js
index 392b5539174..63670611367 100644
--- a/test/types.array.test.js
+++ b/test/types.array.test.js
@@ -1373,24 +1373,42 @@ describe('types array', function(){
   })
 
   describe('removing from an array atomically using MongooseArray#remove', function(){
-    it('works', function(done){
-      var db = start()
-        , BlogPost = db.model('BlogPost', collection);
+    var db;
+    var B;
+
+    before(function(done){
+      var schema = Schema({
+          numbers: ['number']
+        , numberIds: [{ _id: 'number', name: 'string' }]
+        , stringIds: [{ _id: 'string', name: 'string' }]
+        , bufferIds: [{ _id: 'buffer', name: 'string' }]
+        , oidIds:    [{ name: 'string' }]
+      })
+
+      db = start();
+      B = db.model('BlogPost', schema);
+      done();
+    })
 
-      var post = new BlogPost();
+    after(function(done){
+      db.close(done);
+    })
+
+    it('works', function(done){
+      var post = new B;
       post.numbers.push(1, 2, 3);
 
       post.save(function (err) {
         assert.ifError(err);
 
-        BlogPost.findById(post._id, function (err, doc) {
+        B.findById(post._id, function (err, doc) {
           assert.ifError(err);
 
           doc.numbers.remove('1');
           doc.save(function (err) {
             assert.ifError(err);
 
-            BlogPost.findById(post.get('_id'), function (err, doc) {
+            B.findById(post.get('_id'), function (err, doc) {
               assert.ifError(err);
 
               assert.equal(doc.numbers.length, 2);
@@ -1399,8 +1417,7 @@ describe('types array', function(){
               doc.save(function (err) {
                 assert.ifError(err);
 
-                BlogPost.findById(post._id, function (err, doc) {
-                  db.close();
+                B.findById(post._id, function (err, doc) {
                   assert.ifError(err);
                   assert.equal(0, doc.numbers.length);
                   done();
@@ -1411,6 +1428,97 @@ describe('types array', function(){
         });
       });
     })
+
+    describe('with subdocs', function(){
+      function docs (arr) {
+        return arr.map(function (val) {
+          return { _id: val }
+        });
+      }
+
+      it('supports passing strings', function(done){
+        var post = new B({ stringIds: docs('a b c d'.split(' ')) })
+        post.save(function (err) {
+          assert.ifError(err);
+          B.findById(post, function (err, post) {
+            assert.ifError(err);
+            post.stringIds.remove('b');
+            post.save(function (err) {
+              assert.ifError(err);
+              B.findById(post, function (err, post) {
+                assert.ifError(err);
+                assert.equal(3, post.stringIds.length);
+                assert.ok(!post.stringIds.id('b'));
+                done();
+              })
+            })
+          })
+        })
+      })
+      it('supports passing numbers', function(done){
+        var post = new B({ numberIds: docs([1,2,3,4]) })
+        post.save(function (err) {
+          assert.ifError(err);
+          B.findById(post, function (err, post) {
+            assert.ifError(err);
+            post.numberIds.remove(2,4);
+            post.save(function (err) {
+              assert.ifError(err);
+              B.findById(post, function (err, post) {
+                assert.ifError(err);
+                assert.equal(2, post.numberIds.length);
+                assert.ok(!post.numberIds.id(2));
+                assert.ok(!post.numberIds.id(4));
+                done();
+              })
+            })
+          })
+        })
+      })
+      it('supports passing objectids', function(done){
+        var OID = mongoose.Types.ObjectId;
+        var a = new OID;
+        var b = new OID;
+        var c = new OID;
+        var post = new B({ oidIds: docs([a,b,c]) })
+        post.save(function (err) {
+          assert.ifError(err);
+          B.findById(post, function (err, post) {
+            assert.ifError(err);
+            post.oidIds.remove(a,c);
+            post.save(function (err) {
+              assert.ifError(err);
+              B.findById(post, function (err, post) {
+                assert.ifError(err);
+                assert.equal(1, post.oidIds.length);
+                assert.ok(!post.oidIds.id(a));
+                assert.ok(!post.oidIds.id(c));
+                done();
+              })
+            })
+          })
+        })
+      })
+      it('supports passing buffers', function(done){
+        var post = new B({ bufferIds: docs(['a','b','c','d']) })
+        post.save(function (err) {
+          assert.ifError(err);
+          B.findById(post, function (err, post) {
+            assert.ifError(err);
+            post.bufferIds.remove(new Buffer('a'));
+            post.save(function (err) {
+              assert.ifError(err);
+              B.findById(post, function (err, post) {
+                assert.ifError(err);
+                assert.equal(3, post.bufferIds.length);
+                assert.ok(!post.bufferIds.id(new Buffer('a')));
+                done();
+              })
+            })
+          })
+        })
+      })
+    })
   })
 })