MLF not starting

I have two Chilean juice buckets that completed primary fermentation. One Merlot at .995 and one Malbec at .996. The supplier said they were slightly sulfited to prevent fermentation during shipping. I have not added any k-meta. I bought one packet of VP-41 and divided the packet in half, rehydrated in distilled water and pitched along with Opti Malo nutrient. There has been no airlock activity in four days. The ph of the Merlot is 3.30 and Malbec at 3.31. Temps are low to mid 70's. Any suggestions? Should I raise these ph levels? Thanks

I'd give it mote time. Temps seem good, but pH is low but should be ok. I rarely see much airlock action during Malo. Sometimes it is slow to start.

PH does seem awful low for a merlot and Malbec. How do they taste? Might want to adjust for taste. I tend to make my reds more in the 3.6 range. If that is the issue why the Malo hasn't started, you may need more bacteria. However, if you have a wine handy that has been through Malo and not too high mets, you can use it as a starter.

I agree with @Johny99 . Malo shows little, if any, airlock activity. What you will see are very tiny bubbles (and maybe only if you're shining a flashlight on the carboy). Your temps are good, and VP41 should be fine down to pH 3.2. VP41 also has pretty good sulfite tolerance, IIRC. What is the ABV on these wines?

Boatboy24 said:

I agree with @Johny99 . Malo shows little, if any, airlock activity. What you will see are very tiny bubbles (and maybe only if you're shining a flashlight on the carboy). Your temps are good, and VP41 should be fine down to pH 3.2. VP41 also has pretty good sulfite tolerance, IIRC. What is the ABV on these wines?

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Both are approximately 13.5%

Rodnboro said:

Both are approximately 13.5%

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OK, ABV is not a problem then.

I can see the tiny bubbles with a flashlight. Thanks, I feel much better.

How'd you end up?

Since this was my first time with mlf, I did not get the chromo testing supplies. I'm using the small kit with the strips. Both are getting there but really slow. Two weeks ago, I got worried and added 1/8 tsp k-meta to each. I initially racked these to 5 gallon carboys and had 1/2 gallon left which I did not mlf. I can tell a big difference in taste tests so I know it's working. If it tastes better at my next test, I'll probably add k-meta and say it's good enough.